00:00A contractor has been charged for his involvement in illegal water trucking activities.
00:06Coming out of the Mont Diablo, I know a contractor was charged.
00:10It was never made public because it was not my duty or the duty of the Ministry of Public Utilities to make it public.
00:15But WASA working together with the TTPS, sharing the requisite information,
00:21resulted in some of the operators being placed before the courts.
00:26The news comes as an investigation is currently underway into similar activities,
00:31which are alleged to be taking place in the Sandy Grande Regional Corporation, involving elected officials.
00:37Workers have also been accused of charging residents between $300 and $500 per truckload of water.
00:44I cannot go and delve deeper into the issue of the investigation,
00:49but what I can tell you is that a statement was made in the Parliament
00:53that the Ministry of Rural Development, who has responsibility for the Sandy Grande Regional Corporation,
00:59their evidence was passed to them.
01:02The Anti-Corruption Unit, I'm told, of the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service,
01:07is also working on information that was passed to them to investigate the information that was passed
01:15with respect to the illegal water trucking in the Sandy Grande Corporation.
01:19So the Ministry is doing it from an administrative perspective,
01:22and the TTPS is doing it from a criminal investigation perspective.
01:25He's giving the assurance that these incidents will be less likely to occur
01:29as WASA continues to enhance its water delivery and water management systems.
01:35WASA is digitizing and automating its water distribution system to the extent
01:40that whenever you have disruption taking place, that information is fed almost in real time
01:46to the Operational Control Center so that the appropriate action can be taken.
01:50So as we continue to roll out our automation efforts,
01:53it will become very difficult for persons to engage in active disruption.
01:59The Minister was speaking at the flood turning ceremony
02:02for the upgrade and refurbishment of the Gunapo and North Oro Poach water treatment plants,
02:08which will benefit over 200,000 WASA customers.
02:12His waterworks over the years prompted the Mayor of Arima, Badira Maharaj, to give him this tribute.
02:19He come to work. They call him the great man.
02:23I wish him all the best and long life here.
02:26Continue this job and please give us pipe and water.
02:32You're the greatest man in piping.
02:34I look forward for you for the next 10 years, 15 years, long life, God bless.
02:40The works will cost over $440 million to be funded under the IDB program.
02:46Renessa Cutting, TV6 News.
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