Works and Infrastructure Minister Dr Suruj Rambachan warned residents of Coora Road, Siparia, that if they continued their fiery protest, the road would not be fixed.Following Monday's protest in which residents blocked several areas along the road with burning debris, Rambachan met with a few of them at the Siparia Regional Corporation, where he promised to have repaving works begin in April. Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar is the MP for the constituency of Siparia.
Despite this assurance, residents said they were enraged over the numerous and unfulfilled promises by politicians to have the road fixed and they were being asked to return to their community with yet another promise.Rambachan responded, "First of all, we have to operate on a basis of trust. If I don't keep my word, you can go back and protest, but if you continue to protest I am not coming to fix anything."
Rambachan said that a contractor in Belmont had to pay $30,000 to thugs who hijacked equipment that was being used for road repairs, while another contractor in east Trinidad had to pay $64,000 for the release of two employees that were kidnapped on the job.He said WASA had the same problem when it came to repairing leaking pipelines."It is up to you all to do things peacefully, I put my hands up," Rambachan said.
He said work could not be done immediately as funds for projects were approved quarterly. Since prudence was needed, he said, it was not feasible to spend too much money to repair the road now and then repave it in April."It takes $2 million to rehabilitate one kilometre of road and if I take $500,000 to patch the road now it will mean I am spending $2.5 million for just one part of the road," Rambachan said.
In the end, the residents agreed to keep the peace, with Darryl Ramsamooj telling Rambachan, "We will go back and inform the community of what is talking place and we will try to keep the community peaceful. We will hold back on the protest for the time."
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On January 12, Erin residents began a week-long protest, spreading from Quarry Village to Buenos Ayres over poor road conditions. Several fiery roadblocks were set up along the SS Erin Road in Lorensotte, Rancho Quemado, Palo Seco and Santa Flora.
Police arrested four men for blocking the roads but this further intensified the protests.On January 13, police received news that residents planned to interfere with Petrotrin oil lines.
The MP for the area, Fitzgerald Jeffrey, claimed that his constituency was not getting any attention because it was held by the Opposition.Rambachan said last week rehabilitation would begin in some places this week while the actual repaving of the road would begin in March.On Monday, WASA and Ministry of Works officials were evaluating the work to be done.