Black Immigrant Daily News

News

A landslip is currently threatening a portion of the Southern Main Road in Chatham Village.
–

Point Fortin MP Kennedy Richards Jr has assured his constituents that stabilisation works on a massive landslip along the Southern Main Road in Chatham Village is set to resume on Monday.

If there is no rain.

Several residents have been complaining that landslips on both sides of the road are worsening. It is unsafe, they say, for any car to pass on the narrow remaining strip of the road. They fear that “at any time now,” they cut be cut off from the rest of Trinidad and Tobago.

Richards said, “It could happen, but no one knows if or when that could happen. The work is getting done. I know that they are frightened, and I am frightened too. Trying to upgrade the road, we must not lose a soul. While I am scared, I must trust the engineers to do their jobs. Kennedy is the remedy but that does not mean things would be easy.

“The Government is spending upwards of $10 million on this site. This is to ensure that the south western peninsula does not get cut off from the rest of the country. The work must be done properly. People are anxious, and I am just as anxious.”

The MP recalled that a contractor had recently started stabilisation work on one side of the road then stopped. That was because soil testing results showed that the other side of the road also needed work. That caused a change in the original scope of the project.

He said the change in design to fix both sides, and the bad weather caused a delay in the restart of the work.

Richards said he was being kept abreast of the project and was working to have the problems fixed.

The contractor and the Works and Transport Ministry have been working with WASA regarding the updated design.

A landslip is currently threatening a portion of the Southern Main Road in Chatham Village. –

Richards said, “After this landslip is fixed, there are more 19 remaining from there straight to Icacos. I checked them myself. I spoke to (Works and Transport Minister Rohan) Sinanan, who is willing to help. But he is dealing with 450 landslips throughout the country. Every time he fixes one, he gets two more. That is the challenge we have in the country.

“So while he (Sinanan) is working to remedy the situation, others parts are getting damaged. The Government has been supporting wherever it could. If we had more money, we would have had more done.”

Richards said he was also trying to identify alternative routes like an old Ministry of Works road that connects Buenos Ayers, Erin, to Chatham Road South. But that road also has a landslip.

A statement from the PURE Unit of the Ministry said construction works on the southern landslip were set to restart on August 2. But there were further land movements owing to the bad weather over the past few weeks.

The statement added that work on the site was set to restart on Monday and is expected to finish by the end of November.

One resident, Rikki Undheim, said the road is the only access route to other parts of Cedros.

“Villagers are waiting for the whole southwest to be isolated from the country. This is the worst I have ever seen this landslip. It was already bad, but after the contractor cleared down the bamboo trees holding up the road, it got worse,” Undheim said.

“God forbid someone is on the road when the road gives in. We are frustrated. There are numerous bad roads in Cedros and other parts of TT. But ours are unsafe, and lives are at risk.”

NewsAmericasNow.com

Black Immigrant Daily News

News

FILE PHOTO: The Hall of Justice, Port of Spain. –

In a response to allegations made in a release sent to the media by Chaguanas West MP Dinesh Rambally, claiming that the Judiciary may be overstepping its bounds and undermining the process in relation to pardoning offenders through the mercy committee, the Judiciary said, constitutionally, it plays a role in the mercy process.

Rambally’s allegations were made in relation to a request to government, made by the executive of the Criminal Bar Association, to release 60 deserving prisoners as part of the 60th anniversary of independence, to be observed on August 31.

In a statement issued on Saturday, after claiming the Judiciary was not part of the constitutional process for pardoning prisoners, Rambally alleged that “certain instructions were given to the Judiciary through which some of its staff members were mandated to assist with an ongoing ‘Mercy Committee’ project during the week of August 8 2022.”

“Approximately 13 judicial research counsel in conjunction with the Registrar’s office have been allegedly sifting through court files with a view to compiling a list of eligible people to be recommended for pardon,” Rambally said in the release.

He said the power of pardon is governed by the combined effects of sections 87, 88 and 89 of the constitution. The Advisory Committee, Rambally said, consists of the Minister referred to in section 87(3), the Attorney General, the Director of Public Prosecutions and four members appointed by the president after consultation with the Prime Minister and the Leader of the Opposition.

In a response on Sunday, the Judiciary sought to clarify the law surrounding the process.

“The Judiciary does in fact constitutionally play a role in the Mercy process. The Judiciary has operated in furtherance of the very section 89 of the Constitution referenced and erroneously or disingenuously explained in the (Rambally’s) press release.

“Section 89 (1) of the Constitution outlines the functions of the Advisory Committee and states that: ‘Where an offender has been sentenced to death by any Court for an offence against the law of Trinidad and Tobago, the minister shall cause a written report of the case from the trial judge, together with such other information derived from the record of the case or elsewhere as the minister may require, to be taken into consideration at a meeting of the Advisory Committee.’”

The Judiciary explained that the permanent secretary in the Ministry of National Security requested the records of cases in relation to people who were sentenced to death by the Court and are seeking presidential pardon.

The release said contrary to allegations made by Rambally, the Judiciary did not compile a list of people eligible for pardon.

The Judiciary said that many of the candidates had very old matters and the its staff had to search its archives to compile the files. The Registrar and the Court Administration Unit compiled the files while the Judicial Research Counsel and the Courts Records Unit reviewed them.

The Judiciary pointed out that many of the files would have been very lengthy and detailed, and it might not have been possible to have attained the records from the trial judges because they were either retired or dead.

“The Judiciary pulled together a team of legally trained staff to prepare a factual summary of the records. Copies of the documents requested and the summaries for each were forwarded to the permanent secretary, the acting Chief Justice, Mr Justice Allan Mendonca, the Court Executive Administrator. The Registrar maintained oversight of the exercise.”

The statement added that the exercise gave rise to a number of covid19 infections causing a portion of staff to be quarantined and the Hall of Justice to be temporarily closed as an in-person faciltity as a result. The operations of the Hall of Justice were reverted to virtual hearing only for the duration of the quarantine which ends on Monday.

Describing Rambally’s media release as “erroneous” and “unfortunate” the Judiciary suggested that the Chaguanas West MP should have fact-checked the release’s content before publishing it.

“As with all scuttlebutt, the facts tend to be abandoned for a more disruptive narrative,” the Judiciary said. “The Judiciary notes with increasing concern the carelessness which people who have an audience approach matters that involve perceived threats to the independence of the judiciary.

“It is highly irresponsible and dangerous to our democracy and to peace order and good governance for anyone, especially anyone in a position of responsibility who has the ear of the public to publish erroneous information.”

In 2012, the People’s Partnership government had proposed to release 50 prisoners to commemorate TT’s 50th anniversary of independence, but the process was stalled by the deliberations of the Mercy Committee.

Newsday attempted to reach Attorney General Reginald Armour, Minister in the Ministry of Attorney General Renuka Sagramsingh-Sooklal and Minister of National Security Fitzgerald Hinds for comment but attempts were unsuccessful.

NewsAmericasNow.com

Black Immigrant Daily News

CLICK HERE TO JOIN OUR WHATSAPP GROUP

NewsAmericasNow.com

Black Immigrant Daily News

CLICK HERE TO JOIN OUR WHATSAPP GROUP

NewsAmericasNow.com

Black Immigrant Daily News

Team Mohamed’s stamped their authority on Sunday, letting all and sundry know that South Dakota is their turf, and theirs only.

The occasion was the Guyana Motor Racing and Sports Club’s (GMR&SC’s) International Drag Racing meet, and when Team Mohamed’s 1320 strip record was troubled by foreigners on the previous day during qualifying, the entity went out with a vengeance on Sunday.

Steered by Clint Satterfield, Mohamed’s Pro-Mod car raced to 7.036s on Sunday morning, resetting the track record less than 24 hours after the visiting Trinidadian team had shattered the previous record, which was also held by Team Mohamed’s. (Jemima Holmes)

NewsAmericasNow.com