An informal meeting between Minister of the Environment and Water Resources Ganga Singh and residents of Boundary Street, Felicity, to assuage water shortage issues became confrontational yesterday as members of the Independent Liberal Party (ILP) and the United National Congress (UNC) clashed over the suspicious timing of pipeline construction in the area.
A shouting match unfolded on the edge of Green Park between ILP executive member Amarnath Jaggasar and UNC supporters, as Singh denied that the Government had attempted to block Thursday night’s final ILP meeting with the infrastructure upgrade. “That is a baseless allegation, there is no merit in that whatsoever, and that sit-in protest yesterday was really a stage-managed political opportunity.”
Singh was referring to an accusation made by leader of the ILP Jack Warner on Thursday night that the Government was deliberately attempting to obstruct his party’s political meeting by having water pipeline construction take place on access roads to the venue. Warner staged a spur-of-the-moment protest and invited residents to come out in support.
“It was an act that was done for politics, and it has no merit with respect to any allegation that we are seeking to stop people from coming in...The three-hour sit-in was totally unnecessary,” Singh said.
However, Jaggasar, who was at the park yesterday making preparations for last night’s meeting, said if the ILP had not raised the issue on Thursday night, work would not have been completed on time for yesterday’s meeting, and it was the Government’s intention to delay completion of the pipeline as an act of “political vindictiveness.” As he said this, UNC supporters shouted “Lies, lies, you lie,” over his voice.
Singh interjected and said Jaggasar was a “stranger to the truth,” while Jaggasar vehemently denied this at the same time. Singh walked away as voices rose and a back-and-forth row ensued. Jaggasar asked why the work could not be done after the election on July 29. Communication eventually broke down, as neither party’s arguments could be heard above the other’s.
Chaguanas mayor Orlando Nagessar attempted to temper the stand-off, saying residents came to him simply because they wanted water. He said the request for water came from the borough corporation and he went to the Water and Sewage Authority (WASA) about “a month or two months ago.”
Earlier in the morning, Singh walked around Boundary Street meeting residents and listening to their complaints of lack of water. He said the residents’ concerns were legitimate, and not a gimmick during a heated campaign for the Chaguanas West seat. He added the Government did not act on the basis of general elections or by-elections, and the project had begun weeks before the Green Park grounds were booked by the ILP for Thursday night.
“When we started this project it was long before any kind of indication that the Green Park was going to be utilised.” Singh said workers on site told the ILP on Thursday night that work would be completed by midnight, and there would be no obstacle to last night’s meeting. Singh added there was more than one access road to Green Park which could be used.
But Jaggasar said it didn’t matter as Boundary Street was the main entrance to the park. UNC supporters in the area who approved of the ongoing upgrade said the ILP protest was distasteful. “We didn’t see a problem with the work being completed,” one resident said. Ellen Lewis, head of corporate communications at WASA, told the T&T Guardian the authority was not a political agency, and was not attempting to hinder the ILP’s meeting.
“It’s an unfortunate misunderstanding,” she said.