00:00The Water and Surge Authority says it completed temporary road reinstatement works
00:05along the westbound lane of the Beetham Highway in Seelots at 12.45 on Tuesday morning.
00:11According to WASA, this allowed for a free flow of traffic as commuters hit the road into Port of Spain hours later.
00:18It comes following Monday's situation where people were stuck in hours of traffic
00:22with no forewarning at the opening of the new academic year, exacerbating the traffic jam.
00:28WASA says it will be completing permanent road restoration on Wednesday, September 10th,
00:34adding that it, quote, assures motorists and the traveling public that these works will not disrupt the normal flow of traffic, end quote.
00:44WASA has come in for some heavy criticism over what transpired on Monday,
00:48including from former Public Utilities Minister Marvin Gonzalez,
00:51who has on Monday called for the firing of the acting Chief Executive Officer G. Van Joseph,
00:58and communications manager, a position held by Glenn Singh.
01:02In another statement issued by Gonzalez on Tuesday, he says the situation caused hardship for many,
01:08which left families stranded in long delays, students arriving late for school,
01:13and businesses facing lost productivity.
01:16According to Gonzalez, the quote-unquote poor scheduling of the repair works
01:20is symptomatic of systematic issues relating to WASA's operational planning
01:25and what he refers to as a lack of effective oversight by the Ministry of Public Utilities.
01:31Gonzalez is calling for a series of actions to be taken,
01:34namely, a comprehensive investigation into WASA's planning and execution of the Beatham Highway Works,
01:40two, clear accountability from WASA's executive leadership
01:44and the Minister of Public Utilities, Barry Padarath.
01:48And finally, a return to the oversight frameworks that he says existed prior to the 2025 general election.
01:56Gonzalez is of the view that there was better coordination, proper scheduling,
02:00and contingency measures which prevented what he terms such frequent disruptions.
02:06The road reinstatement works are being carried out following emergency repairs to a ruptured pipeline,
02:12which took place on Sunday night.
02:14Alicia Boucher, TV6 News.
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