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  • 9 months ago
A contractor has been charged for his involvement in what the Minister of Public Utilties terms an "illegal water-trucking racket". The Minister made the revelation as he called out members of the Sangre Grande Regional Corporation, who are currently the subject of an investigation into similar activities. Rynessa Cutting has more.
Transcript
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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