Tunapuna/Piarco Regional Corporation chairman Josiah Austin arrived at the Eddie Hart Grounds in Tacarigua yesterday with what he said was a stop order to halt construction of a joint army-police post.But he was heckled and jeered by a number of people at the site and work continued on the foundation structure of the post.Austin told reporters he was waiting for the corporation’s engineer to serve the document, as he—a political appointee—was unable to do so himself.Austin arrived while construction was under way, carrying a document he identified as a stop order.
Arrived with ‘stop order’: Corporation chair Josiah Austin.
His arrival was met with audible boos and words of disapproval at the site, with people heard calling for the police post to remain.The document had still not been served hours later, while the platform for the police post and the sewerage facilities installation were almost completed.Homeland Security Minister Roger Alexander, who was on site, said three of the first 30 proposed joint army-police posts were expected to be completed by next week.The Government’s decision to proceed with the posts has also led to questions over consultation, procurement and funding.Austin: Police postrunning over gas lineAt Eddie Hart Grounds, Austin said the TPRC had not been consulted before construction began.“There was no consultation with us, they came in and just started this,” he said, describing the approach as disrespectful.In a statement last night, Austin said it had been “confirmed that the police post has been constructed directly over an NGC gas pipeline”.He posted a video which showed several red flags planted in the ground at the police post site which he told the Express had been placed there by the NGC.This raises a public safety concern and demonstrates why proper consultation matters, he stated.“Had the relevant agencies been consulted before construction began, this issue could have been identified and addressed from the outset. Let me be clear: the Tunapuna/Piarco Regional Corporation supports the establishment of a police post at the Eddie Hart Grounds.“Our concern has never been the project itself, but the failure to follow a transparent, lawful and coordinated process,” Austin stated in his release.The Minister of Homeland Security has reportedly stated that this matter is “not my business. I respectfully disagree. As chairman, it is my responsibility to raise issues affecting the safety of our communities.“It is equally the minister’s responsibility to ensure that facilities built for the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service are safe and properly planned.”He said the Government should now explain what engineering assessments were undertaken before construction and what action would be taken now.“This is not about opposing a police post. It is about ensuring that public infrastructure is built safely, responsibly and with proper consultation,” he said.At the site earlier yesterday, he insisted the problem could have been avoided.“No one is above the law. And everything that every ordinary citizen of T&T would have to go through I expect that the Government would also have to go through. And that is only expected.“We are all for security and systems to be put in place. But at the same time some respect for the corporation should be given. Because if there was a conversation, we could have avoided these challenges. As I would have said previously, simple consultation,” Austin said, questioning whether checks had been made to establish where WASA and other utility lines were located.He said he believed the situation could have been prevented had the Ministry of Homeland Security and the Ministry of Rural Development and Local Government taken a different approach.The dispute followed the work stoppage at the site on Thursday.Requests formore postsAlexander, however, dismissed Austin’s position yesterday afternoon.Asked about the TPRC chairman’s actions, Alexander said: “Himself tell himself that he is a king and bought himself a crown.”The minister said the project had been planned and provided for more than a year before construction began.“It’s been a year, two months and three weeks since we started this,” he said.Alexander said the Government was proceeding with the construction of the posts as part of its efforts to improve security in communities across Trinidad and Tobago.He said three posts were expected to be completed by next week, with two more expected to be confirmed over the weekend.Alexander defended the project and said it was intended to make citizens feel safer. “People will ask if crime is going down, why are we still doing this? Continuity,” he said.He said security measures had to remain in place to ensure that the gains achieved during this current state of emergency were continued when it comes to an end, and ensure that lives continued to be protected and saved.Asked about the project’s procurement and funding, Alexander did not provide details on where the funding came from, how much the project was costing, or what procurement procedure was used.“There is no cost attached to a life,” Alexander said. “The more we put forward the less persons die, less families grieve.”The minister said his office had received 317 requests for police posts from citizens in communities across Trinidad and Tobago up to yesterday morning.Some communities had requested as many as five posts.He said 30 posts were proposed for the first phase, with the number potentially increasing to 60 if two additional phases were approved.Alexander also declined to provide details on the project’s procurement and funding.—Alexander Bruzual
