00:00For over 20 years, 39-year-old Ravi Baboulal has been a coconut vendor.
00:06He recently started selling at the top of High Street on Library Corner, San Fernando.
00:11And it was while trying to fill up his cart with coconuts to sell this week
00:14that he was issued six traffic tickets, totaling $19,000 in fines, around 8 p.m. two nights ago.
00:23I had gotten $19,000 tickets on Sunday night
00:26because when I came in here to put in my coconut, it had a roadblock out there.
00:31And the police ended up chasing us and they gave me $19,000 tickets.
00:35Now, I find this very unfair because that same woman had already charged me.
00:39They already charged one of my drivers for, you know, defective tyre and inspection and so on.
00:45So, you know, I find like that was just two months ago before Christmas
00:49and all my earnings had gone behind those tickets.
00:52Mr. Baboulal admits he has a couple pending court matters
00:55and has been ticketed multiple times in the past.
00:59But still, he feels at least one of Sunday's tickets was wrongfully issued.
01:03Some of the offenses, I can say I'm guilty, yeah, like the tyre and the inspection.
01:08But like here, where you can see $10,000 here for insurance, my vehicle is insured.
01:12I am a law-abiding citizen.
01:14My vehicle will not be on the road without valid insurance.
01:18They asked for the insurance and they saw it.
01:20You produced it?
01:21Yes, I produced it.
01:23So you'll be going to court for that?
01:24Yes, I will be going to court for that.
01:26Between 7.56pm to 8.05pm, Mr. Baboulal, driving his white Mitsubishi van
01:33at the corner of Keaton Mucarapo Street's San Fernando,
01:37was ticketed for carrying unsecured load, $1,500,
01:40using his vehicle with defective tyres, $2,000,
01:45permitting excess sparks, smoke or visible vapour from the vehicle, $2,000,
01:50using a vehicle on a public road without a valid policy of insurance, $10,000,
01:56failing to comply with the directive of a police constable, $1,500,
02:01and failure to produce a vehicle for inspection
02:04or driving without a valid inspection sticker and certificate, $2,000.
02:08He has until February 3rd to pay the $19,000 in fixed penalties,
02:15a time frame which he says he will be unable to meet.
02:19I'm working for the TTPS.
02:21I have no future here.
02:23All my earnings shall be going to the TTPS.
02:26Look, yesterday was my birthday.
02:29I told them that it was my birthday.
02:30They had shown no mercy towards me.
02:34So which means the TTPS cares nothing about public servants.
02:37He is calling on the government to intervene and reason with the TTPS
02:42to be more considerate of people's financial capabilities,
02:45as many people, he says, are unemployed or self-employed
02:49and cannot begin to pay these fines.
02:51If they could have been a little lenient and give me a couple months,
02:54I would have paid, you know,
02:55but I certainly sure I cannot pay it in one month's time.
02:59That is totally unfair.
03:00I might have to sell my vehicle,
03:01and then that will be the end of my business.
03:04Because how would I get cooking?
03:06My van, my vehicle is my livelihood.
03:09I would like them to be a little lenient with us
03:11and ask the TTPS to show some mercy.
03:13Cindy Raghubatika Singh, TV6 News.
