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  • 2 months ago
The Water and Sewerage Authority road restoration works on the Beetham Highway are set for completion on Wednesday. WASA is seeking to assure the public that the serious traffic problem that was experienced by commuters on Monday, will not recur.

Meanwhile the Former Public Utilities Minister is calling for several actions to be taken based on what transpired.

Alicia Boucher has more in this report.
Transcript
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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