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Minister of Works and Transport Rohan Sinanan, Chairman of the Coosal group of companies Sieunarine Persad Coosal, San Fernando West MP Faris Al Rawi and children of the Embaccadre use the the Rienzi Kirton Highway Overpass. Photo by Lincoln Holder

RURAL Development and Local Government Minister Faris Al-Rawi and Works and Transport Minister Rohan Sinanan are optimistic about infrastructural improvements coming for San Fernando in the coming fiscal year.

They expressed their optimism at the opening of the Rienzi Kirton Overpass in San Fernando on Wednesday

Construction of the overpass began in 2020 and cost approximately $16 million. The overpass is part of the wider San Fernando waterfront development project. It was built by the Works and Transport Ministry’s PURE division and Coosals Construction Company.

Al- Rawi, who is also San Fernando West MP, said, “This is a project that impacts a community in a very significant way.”

Between 2013 and 2015, he continued, people were killed trying to cross the Rienzi-Kirton Highway near where the overpass now stands.

“Young children were killed as they were crossing to go to school.”

Al-Rawi reminded the media there were many schools close by, such as ASJA Girls’ and Boys’ Colleges and San Fernando Government Secondary School.

As someone who grew up in the area, Al-Rawi said, it was impossible to have 200,000 people living close to a major highway with no means of crossing it safely.

“You are standing on a walkway that didn’t really exist before.”

Al-Rawi viewed the overpass as an important component in the wider San Fernando waterfront development project.

“This is the connectivity to get there. We are going to be agitating for another walkway closer to Skinner Park as we build a secondary ground. We are going to ask Cabinet to consider that.”

Al-Rawi reminded the media that in his budget presentation on Monday, Finance Minister Colm Imbert mentioned significant development and redevelopment being identified for San Fernando in fiscal 2023.

“San Fernando has waited a very long time to get its turn at development. Under this government and with me as its MP, if I may be bold enough to say so, we are seeing development now that we have not seen for 40 years.”

Sinanan agreed with Al-Rawi.

“San Fernando will see a drastic change in redevelopment of the San Fernando waterfront project.”

Sinanan said at his ministry, “We don’t just talk, we’re about action.”

While general construction activities were delayed over the last two years owing to the covid19 pandemic, Sinanan was happy the overpass had been completed on time, within budget and at miminum inconvenience to the public.

The Rienzi Kirton Highway Overpass. Photo by Lincoln Holder

At 52 metres in length, Sinanan said the overpass is one of the largest in TT.

Al-Rawi thanked Sinanan and Coosal Group of Companies executive chairman Sieunarine Persad Coosal for ensuring the overpass was built on time and within budget. He also praised Persad Coosal for ensuring residents from the surrounding communities were employed in the construction of the overpass.

On Monday, Imbert said, “The San Fernando Waterfront Redevelopment will modernise the city of San Fernando and the surrounding communities. The project is being advanced in phases. with phase one being constructed at a cost of $247 million, involving eight projects.”

One these projects is the construction of a new coastal projection system along Lady Hailes Avenue between Hatter’s Bay and the San Fernando water taxi terminal, at a cost of $67 million. This project is scheduled for completion in 2024.

When it is completed, Imbert said, ” The frequency and severity of coastal erosion and coastal flooding to the area will be reduced,”

Another project is widening Lady Hailes Avenue into a dual carriageway at a cost of $136 million. This is schedued for completion in 2023.

Imbert said commercial and residential squatters are being relocated from the San Fernando waterfront redevelopment area “through a collaborative effort between the Land Settlement Agency and Udecottat a cost of $43 million.”

Another project under the San Fernando waterfront redevelopment is the the reclamation of 3.8 hectares of land at King’s Wharf North. Imbert said this is being done at a cost of $78 million.

“Construction has begun, with completion in 2023.”

He also said a new fishing facility is being built at King’s Wharf at a cost of $38 million.This project is scheduled for completion next year.

Imbert said, “The new facility and jetty will accommodate 72 fishermen and 50 fishing vessels.”

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Minister of Works and Transport Rohan Sinanan, Chairman of the Coosal group of companies Sieunarine Persad Coosal, San Fernando West MP Faris Al Rawi and children of the Embaccadre use the the Rienzi Kirton Highway Overpass. Photo by Lincoln Holder

RURAL Development and Local Government Minister Faris Al-Rawi has said no date has been set for the next local government elections.

He spoke at the opening of the Rienzi-Kirton Overpass in San Fernando on Wednesday.

In response to a question from one reporter about the budget debate being over, Al-Rawi said, ” Budget over? The budget (debate) has just begun.”

He reminded the media that after Finance Minister Colm Imbert presented the 2022./2023 budget on Monday, the budget debate begins in the House on Friday from 1.30 pm, with Opposition Leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar’s response to it.

By established parliamentary convention, Persad-Bissessar will have the same speaking time as Imbert did on Monday. His presentation lasted four hours.

Al-Rawi said, “The budget (process in Parliament) is one month in length.”

That process includes the budget debate in the House, a review by the House’s Standing Finance Committee for five days (at the end of which the budget is officially passed), and then the Senate will debate the budget. Under its standing orders, the Senate cannot vote on the budget as the House does because it cannot vote on money bills.

While hinting at the possibility of weekend House sittings to facilitate the budget debate, Al-Rawi said those particulars are matters for Leader of Government Business Camille Robinson-Regis and Opposition Whip David Lee to work out.

“As to dates for elections, there is a Constitution where there is someone called the Prime Minister of the republic of Trinidad and Tobago. You will have to ask him about dates.”

Al-Rawi previously said the life of local government bodies ends in December and the law allows for a period up to next March in which the elections can be called. The 14 local government corporations in Trinidad are evenly divided between the PNM and UNC.

He dismissed any notion of infrastructure being prioritised on the basis of politics.

Ali-Rawi said the newly formed Secondary Road Repair and Improvement Company, which falls under his ministry, has $200 million to undertake work under its remit. He added that $250 million was allocated to the Works and Transport Ministry’s PURE programme for roadworks.

“So there is a significant pool of money, and remember we’re coming off of the back of covid with a $13-14 billion deficit. So we could not attend to roads, secondary roads, in the manner that we wanted to, before now.”

Al-Rawi reiterated, “Road repair is a priority for the Government.”

Works and Transport Minister Rohan Sinanan said he does not decide which road works take precedence.

“There is a system at the ministry were we actually use data to tell us which of the roads should be prioritised.”

Sinanan recalled that over 300 infrastructural projects were done by the ministry in fiscal 2022.

“Yes, we would have gotten some licks for the condition of the roads, and based on the allocation that we got, we were able to do over 300 road projects.”

For fiscal 2023, Sinanan said the ministry will use its data to determine which roads are in need of repair and use its budgetary allocation to address them accordingly.

Al-Rawi also said the ranks of the municipal police force will be increased from 771 to 1,500 officers this year.

Asked about safety features at the overpass and preventing people from crossing the highway without using the overpass, Al-Rawi said municipal police will collaborate with residents to ensure this does not happen.

“San Fernando is a very disciplined place.”

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El secretario del Departamento de Justicia, Domingo Emanuelli Hernández, recomendó hoy a la Oficina del Panel sobre el Fiscal Especial Independiente (OPFEI) la designación de un Fiscal Especial Independiente (FEI) para que investigue a la exdirectora ejecutiva de la Autoridad de Tierras de Puerto Rico (ATPR), Dorally Rivera Martínez, y otros exfuncionarios de dicha corporación pública, por malversación de fondos asignados por la Asamblea Legislativa.

Al concluir una investigación preliminar, la División de Integridad Pública y Oficina de Asuntos del Contralor (DIPAC) del Departamento de Justicia determinó que existe causa suficiente para creer que la exdirectora ejecutiva de la ATPR, Dorally Rivera Martínez, la exdirectora de Finanzas, Astrid Rivera Febres, y el director del Programa de Infraestructura Rural y Mejoras Permanentes, Miguel Santiago Irizarry, cometieron el delito de malversación de fondos públicos, según dispuesto en el Artículo 264 del Código Penal de Puerto Rico.

Además, durante la investigación se obtuvo información en torno a que la exdirectora ejecutiva autorizó el uso de un vehículo oficial de la ATPR, corporación pública adscrita al Departamento de Agricultura, para que el ingeniero Santiago Irizarry le diera uso privado. Al evaluar esta información, la DIPAC concluyó que existe causa suficiente para creer que ambos también infringieron el Artículo 4.2(b) de la Ley Núm. 1-2012, conocida como la Ley de Ética Gubernamental de Puerto Rico. 

La investigación se originó mediante un referido del secretario de Agricultura, Ramón González Beiró, que incluyó los hallazgos preliminares de una evaluación de los contratos y desembolsos de fondos legislativos asignados a entidades sin fines de lucro a través del Programa de Infraestructura Rural y Mejoras Permanentes de la ATPR, en virtud de la Ley Núm. 173-2020, que enmendó el Código de Rentas Internas de Puerto Rico. Mediante esta ley, la Asamblea Legislativa de Puerto Rico determinaba las entidades a las que se les hacia la transferencia de dinero del Fondo de Mejoras Municipales. Sin embargo, la Autoridad de Tierras tenía el deber ministerial de distribuirlos salvaguardando la legitimidad y velando por los mejores intereses de Puerto Rico. 

La investigación preliminar realizada por la DIPAC reveló que la exdirectora ejecutiva de la ATPR, y la exdirectora de Finanzas autorizaron el desembolso de los fondos públicos a las entidades sin fines de lucro contrario a la ley.    

Conforme los hallazgos, la norma legal vigente y el quantum de prueba exigido en esta etapa de los procedimientos, la DIPAC le aconsejó al secretario de Justicia que recomendara la designación de un Fiscal Especial Independiente en el presente caso.

“Acogemos la recomendación de la División de Integridad Pública y Oficina de Asuntos del Contralor del Departamento de Justicia y, a esos efectos, recomendamos a la Oficina del Panel sobre el Fiscal Especial Independiente que designe un Fiscal Especial Independiente con relación a las actuaciones imputadas”, lee la notificación emitida por el secretario en el día de ayer. 

Debido a que la investigación continúa, ahora en la OPFEI, el secretario y los funcionarios del Departamento de Justicia no emitirán comentarios adicionales sobre este caso en particular.

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On September 13 -15, 2022, Director of the Antigua and Barbuda Department of Environment,  Ambassador Diann Black-Layne and the Deputy Project Coordinator of the Enhanced Direct Access (EDA) Project, Christa-Joy Burton, along with a range of global leaders, experts and companies attended the fifth (5th) annual Green Climate Fund (GCF) Global Programming Conference (GPC).

The event, hosted in Incheon, South Korea, brought together private and public sector stakeholders to explore innovative ways the private sector can mobilize and scale up finance to accelerate climate action in developing countries like Antigua and Barbuda.

The GPC 2022 focused on unlocking capital for climate action by providing a platform to address market failures, showcase new ideas, and forge new partnerships within the climate finance sector.

Attendees left the conference with a new perspective and shared experiences on innovations and best practices for scaling up public-private partnerships toward climate action.

According to Ms. Burton “As one of the first accredited Direct Access Entity (DAEs) to have a regional EDA pilot project approved by the GCF, it was important to be in attendance to share on our progress and lessons learnt thus far.

Through the in-person bilaterals and joint sessions, we were able to have candid discussions with the GCF representatives on the effectiveness of the technical support and funding procedures provided by the GCF, and also had the opportunity to strengthen our partnerships not only with the GCF, but with other NDAs and AEs.

I think this is especially key to improving climate action and project support across developing countries through the sharing of new and best practices, and exploring areas for innovation for climate action.”

For more information contact Christa- Joy Burton at 462-4625 or via email at [email protected].

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