Highway Re-route Movement leader Dr Wayne Kublalsingh says the National Infrastructure Development Company’s (Nidco) response to the Joint Consultative Council (JCC) is “exceedingly unsatisfactory” and is merely an attempt to hoodwink the population. Kublalsingh, who has been on a hunger strike for the last 83 days, described the response, which was published in centrefold advertisements this week, as “a flagrant violation and corruption of the Armstrong process.”
Nidco, through the two-part series of advertisements, responded to concerns raised by JCC president Afra Raymond about the Sir Solomon Hochoy Highway extension to Point Fortin and its Debe to Mon Desir leg. On Wednesday Nidco published the second part of its response and itemised the actions it took as it complied with the recommendations of the Dr James Armstrong-led Highway review committee report.
Kublalsingh, in response to questions posed by the T&T Guardian following that publication, said the ads were “a calculated effort to hoodwink and misinform the public.” He said: “It is a compilation of excuses meant to justify its failure to frontally treat with the Armstrong process and deal with the scientific recommendations of a professional body.”
Nidco, in the advertisements, continued its defence of its decision to maintain its Debe to Mon Desir route for the project. It said it considered and acted upon the Armstrong report recommendations. The state enterprise, in the ad, said: “The alignment of the highway is valid. It is necessary to continue the new highway through Penal, Siparia, Fyzabad onto Point Fortin with the alignment as suggested.”
Nidco said the present route was the “optimum route” as concluded by Dr Bheshem Ramlal, GIS specialist and lecturer at UWI department of engineering. He drew that conclusion, the ad stated, based on the best available spatial data sets obtained from government agencies and GIS consultants and criteria provided by professionals with significant expertise in physical planning, transportation planning, engineering.
Kublalsingh said the HRM had prepared a detailed response to the ads, including a statement by an independent traffic management professional based in the United States which will be provided next week. He said he viewed the advertising campaign as “an attempt to sidestep the mediation process” which had been called for by President Anthony Carmona, Justice Vasheist Kokaram, Derek Murray of Trinidad and Tobago Transparency Institute and Archbishop Joseph Harris, among others.
Kublalsingh, who has been advocating for the recommendations of the Armstrong Report to be adhered to as a condition to end his hunger strike, said he would not cease his action. He maintained: “The hunger strike shall be suspended if the Prime Minister and her Government agree to mediation, and to halt works between Debe to Mon Desir for seven days to allow the mediation process to work towards a way forward.”
Kublalsingh said that the HRM had proposed that in the event mediation was agreed to, three mediators would be necessary. One mediator would be chosen by Government, one by the HRM and the third would be someone mutually acceptable to both sides, he said. “Persons who have interceded, including Minister Vasant Bharath, have agreed to take this proposal to the Honourable Prime Minister,” he added.
Nidco said it expected that the new four-lane divided highway from Point Fortin (Dunlop) roundabout to Mon Desir Interchange, with connector roads and support interchanges, will be completed by 2015.
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Nidco, in its advertisement on Wednesday, said the highway route chosen, “presents the least impact on the wetlands, as well as on the built communities established in these areas over the years.” It also said that no mangroves were to be removed in the Debe to Mon Desir area.
“Where this has been necessary in other sections, a mandated mangrove rehabilitation plan has been implemented by the contractor and overseen by the EMA,” Nidco stated in the ad. The state enterprise said all regulatory approvals for the Debe to Mon Desir alignment have been obtained and all conditions as required by the Town and Country Planning Division have been fulfilled, inclusive of approvals from the Regional Corporations.
It said Royal Haskoning BV of the Netherlands, in association with Haskoning Caribbean Ltd, have been hired to conduct feasibility studies and detailed design consultancy services for the South Oropouche River Basin Flood Mitigation and Integrated Watershed Management Project.
The study objectives were to develop alternative solutions (ie adaptation of drainage infrastructure, water resources uses and overall watershed management) and best management practices to reduce the frequency and severity of flooding in the basin.