Black Immigrant Daily News

Each year, the Jamaica Fire Brigade joins the rest of the world in observing Fire and Life Safety Awareness Week to raise awareness of the importance of being prepared in the event of a fire.

This year, it is being observed between Sunday, October 23 and Saturday, October 29, under the theme “Preserving the Nation through Life Safety and Fire Prevention”, with a focus on the disabilities and access and functional needs community.

According to Sean Martin, Chief Fire Prevention Officer, “The Brigade will be using this opportunity to engage primarily with persons with disabilities and their caregivers to improve the levels of fire safety being experienced by this vulnerable group.”

Martin continued, “we are pleased to have formed partnerships with public and private stakeholders, such as Seprod that is providing support in the form of products from their distribution line.”

Seprod Foundation answered the call and has offered support by providing over 200,000 worth of products to be distributed to children’s homes and households that have been affected by fire, and by assisting in raising awareness about the importance of fire safety and prevention. The products were handed over to the Jamaica Fire Brigade on October 24, 2022, to support the activities for the rest of the week.

Richard Pandohie, CEO of the Seprod Group of Companies and Director of Seprod Foundation commented: “We continue to be heart-broken by the cases of families being devastated by the loss of their loved ones due to fire; as recently as September, 3 children died after a fire destroyed their home. We want to stop these tragedies, and this is why the Seprod Foundation is working with the Jamaica Fire Brigade during Fire and Life Safety Awareness week to highlight the steps that each of us can take to ensure the safety of our lives and that of our families and colleagues. We also want to salute the men and women in our Fire Brigade for the sacrifices that they make on a daily basis.”

About one year ago, Seprod experienced a fire that destroyed the Facey Commodity warehouse and offices at Newport West.

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File photo: The Board of Inland Revenue building in Port of Spain.

ANOTHER assistant commissioner of the Board of Inland Revenue (BIR) is threatening the State with legal action, alleging she was bypassed for promotion as chairman in favour of a junior officer.

On Wednesday, attorneys for Sabetaa Lall sent a pre-action protocol letter to the Office of the Attorney General, setting out the alleged “unlawful and unconstitutional” conduct of the State.

Attorneys Dinesh Rambally, Kiel Taklalsingh, Stefan Ramkissoon, Kristy Mohan, and Rhea Khan said Lall was the best person for the job.

Taklalsingh said because of the powers the chairman of the BIR possesses in prosecuting citizens, searching and seizing property, and accessing private financial information, any decision to appoint a chairman must be transparent.

He said Lall, who is due to retire in 2024, was appointed assistant commissioner in 2015, and since 2018, she has acted as commissioner and continues to do so.

Taklalsingh alleged after a recommendation for another senior commissioner to act as chairman was rescinded two weeks after it was made in December 2020, the Ministry of Finance’s permanent secretary recommended a field auditor and acting assistant commissioner to act as chairman ahead of four more senior commissioners, including Lall.

Another of the four acting commissioners bypassed was Rohonie Ramkissoon, who recently won her challenge of a decision by the Finance Minister not to recommend her as chairman of the BIR in 2021.

Justice Margaret Mohammed held Minister Colm Imbert acted unlawfully and irrationally when he decided not to recommend Ramkissoon. Imbert has said he intends to appeal the decision.

In the pre-action letter, Talkalsingh said after all four bypassed commissioners wrote to the Public Service Commission together, a memo was sent out rescinding the acting appointment, and interviews were held in February 2021. At that meeting, Lall was asked about the misappropriation of funds at the cashier’s unit of the BIR, which, at the time was her responsibility.

Lall said she was taken by surprise, since she was told not she would be called on to give an explanation. Her lawyer also said no allegation of impropriety has ever been levelled against her in relation to the missing funds.

Taklalsingh said while Lall responded, she did not know it would be used against her as a reason to bypass her.

The letter also said a recommendation was made a second time and she was again bypassed.

“We are of the considered view that our client has proper grounds to challenge the lawfulness and constitutionality of the continuing failure of the Minister of Finance to consider her for promotion to the post of commissioner.”

He said the decision to repeatedly bypass Lall was unfair, irrational, and unconstitutional.

“… To say the BIR and its chairman should be insulated from political influence and pressure and ought not to be beholden to a political officer is an understatement.”

He said the decision not to consider Lall for appointment “violently collides” with the constitutional provisions for the public service which are meant to “insulate members of the civil service from interference.”

“The assessment of taxes and validity of refunds are important functions which must be performed independently and be free of political suasion or influence.”

He said no minister can use “half-baked, unformed allegations and/or the purported need for investigations,” to disqualify anyone from serving as chairman of the BIR. Taklalsingh said solidly rational and cogent reasons must be provided for not making a recommendation and the process of dealing with any information must be lawfully fair.

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Invest SVG will host a ceremony this afternoon to signal the culmination of the Everything Vincy Expo, at the Geest Cargo Terminal in Kingstown.

The Investment Agency has been hosting the Expo, to showcase the Goods and Services produced here in St. Vincent and the Grenadines.

Minister of Finance and Economic Planning Camillo Gonsalves is encouraging the population to continue to support local entrepreneurs.

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The closing ceremony of the Everything Vincy Expo will be held from five this afternoon. Then from 8pm an event dubbed Fashion De Music will be held.

Exhibitors at the Everything Vincy Expo say they are grateful for the opportunity provided by Invest SVG to showcase their products.

NBC news spoke to Shanette Charles of Shanny’s Prod who said the exposure has done well for her business which is still fairly new.

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Ms. Charles also shared her greatest challenge as an entrepreneur and she offered advice to young people who are interested in starting their own business.

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That was Shanette Charles of Shanny’s Prod- one of the exhibitors taking part in the Everything Vincy Expo hosted by Invest SVG.

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Prime Minister Dr. Ralph Gonsalves says a special allowance will be paid to Nurse-Midwives here in St. Vincent and the Grenadines.

The Prime Minister made the announcement during his Independence speech at the Military Parade at the Victoria Park yesterday.

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The Prime Minister also announced that payment will be made to volunteers who worked during the La Soufriere Volcanic eruptions.

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According to Prime Minister Gonsalves, the Government will offer the Duty free concession on Christmas barrels from Monday November 14th this year.

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Flooding along Penal Rock Road on Friday due to several days of heavy rainfall. Photo by Lincoln Holder

One of many massive landslips along the Penal Rock Road in Moruga has cut off the community, and frustrated residents again protested to highlight the state of the road on Friday.

“The Moruga Main Road is already bad. Now cars cannot go to Penal through the teak (an area further along the Penal Rock Road) from here. It is dangerous for the trucks and other heavy vehicles to pass,” a resident said.

The Penal Rock Road runs from Basse Terre Village, Moruga, to Penal Junction in Penal.

The residents live along the 14 mile-mark in Santa Maria Village.

People gathered near Blas Cha Cha Trace, saying they were left with no choice, as all their cries seemed to fall on deaf ears. They blocked the road with tyes and used appliances.

A major landslip along Penal Rock Road, through the teak fields is now impassable to vehicles. Photo by Lincoln Holder

They recalled that a few weeks ago, a concrete cement mixer truck transporting cement capsized. Luckily no one was injured. The truck was removed by the company it belongs to. But the mixer was still on the roadside when Newsday visited on Friday.

One parent said the Santa Maria RC primary school was closed for a week because the water truck could not supply the school.

Resident and shop owner Mary Guevarro said taxi fares from Basse Terre to Santa Maria increased from $6 to $12 recently.

“No goods vans want to take a chance to come in the area. To buy items, we have to meet them part-way. Cars are damaging by being on the road. In case…someone needs an ambulance, the only way they would be able to reach here is by air,” Guevarro said.

She said a man from a neighbouring community had tried to make the existing “piece of road” workable by putting materials and smoothing them with his backhoe.

Photo by Lincoln Holder

Moruga/Tableland MP Michelle Benjamin met the protesters on Friday. She said the road’s deplorable and dangerous state had been the subject of countless letters to the Works and Transport Ministry and countless parliamentary questions posed to the line minister. Yet the problem is still to be resolved.

Earlier in the week, residents along the Penal Rock Road, in the Penal area, staged several protests calling for the authorities to fix the bad roads.

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