Four days after the Environmental Management Authority (EMA) initiated an investigation into an oil spill in the Catshill Field off Moruga, another spill has developed in the Gulf of Paria.

The Ministry of Energy and Energy Industries said yesterday that it received a report of a possible leak on a six inch diameter pipeline from Platform Nine to Riser Platform Two in the Main Soldado Field of Petrotrin Trinmar Operations.

A media release stated that the leak was immediately isolated and an assessment was undertaken by Petrotrin’s HSE personnel aboard the vessel Gulf Command.

The spill was estimated to be 95 per cent sheen and five per cent brown patches with an estimated volume of 10 barrels. The distance of spill from the shoreline was last reported at 4.26 nautical miles.

In response, an emergency command centre was set up at Trinmar Operations’ Marine Base in Point Fortin while emergency response vessels staffed by HSE personnel were mobilised to dispense cansorb to neutralise the oil.

A team of divers was mobilised to assess and repair the line while the shoreline and nearshore checks at Icacos, Fullerton and Columbus Bay indicated no impact up to yesterday afternoon. Air surveillance of the affected area was also being undertaken.

OWTU president general Ancel Roget told the media yesterday that some of the workers at Trinmar Offshore Operations, who were expected to attend the union’s meeting in Pointe-a-Pierre yesterday, were instructed to report to work to deal with the spill.

The oil spill reportedly occurred between 11.30 pm Thursday and 12.30 am yesterday. Roget said there were no reports of the oil reaching shore. He said that an investigation team will have to be appointed to determine the source of the oil spill and the cause.

A 43-year-old prison officer has been charged with having a large quantity of marijuana and other contraband items in his locker at the Port-of-Spain State Prison.

He was detained by police a few days ago.

Nigel Marshall, of La Horquetta, Arima, was granted $100,000 bail when he appeared before Magistrate Aden Stroude in the Port-of-Spain court charged with marijuana trafficking and misbehaviour in public office.

Marshall, who has 15 years service,, was not called upon to plead to the charges.

The contraband items were found on Tuesday during a search of the prison at Frederick Street in Port-of-Spain.

Police alleged that they found 660 grammes of marijuana, 35 packs of cigarettes, 69 packs of rolling paper and a cellphone hidden in Marshall’s personal locker. Marshall was arrested the following day.

The marijuana was allegedly concealed in two juice containers and three cake packets.

Police said the items had a total value of $13,000 if sold within the prison.

The search exercise featured officers of several specialised police units and was supervised by Senior Supt Ajith Persad of the Port-of-Spain CID.

Marshall is expected to reappear in court on March 28.

The .40 calibre pistol seems to be the weapon of choice for persons involved in criminal activities in T&T.

This was disclosed by Central Division’s ASP Wayne Mystar on Thursday during a media briefing where he displayed one that was seized during a police exercise conducted.

Other items police seized included two revolvers, two ski masks, a knife and a quantity of high grade marijuana and cocaine with a total street value of $10,000.

Eight men, aged between 24 and 60, were arrested in the exercise which took place at Carli Bay in Couva; Carlsen Field and Cancadee Road, Felicity, Chaguanas.

“The .40 calibre pistol is a high-powered weapon that seems to be the choice of weapon because it can cause more damage,” Mystar said.

“This is a growing concern we have in the T&T Police Service,” he added.

A police source, who wished not to be identified, explained that while the .40 calibre cannot penetrate bullet proof vests and armoured vehicles it can cause more damage than a 9mm.

“The impact to the damage done by the projectile of the .40 would be greater and not only that, it is easily accessible to those in the criminal world because it is the .40 and the .45 calibre that are being brought in illegally,” the police officer said.

When contacted for comment firearm dealer Jethro John would only say that as dealers they are not allowed to import anything above 9 mm.

The police exercise was headed by head of the Central Division acting Senior Supt Inraj Balram, ASP Richard Smith and Mystar and supervised by Sgt Glen Persad and his team from the Central Division’s Task Force Unit.

Meanwhile, officers of the Northern Division Task Force seized a Glock 19 pistol loaded with an extended magazine and 84 rounds of 9mm ammunition and 16 rounds of 5.56mm ammunition buried in a pile of gravel in Arouca.

As a result of information, the officers went to an abandoned structure at Windy Hill, Arouca and found the gun and ammunition.

No arrest was madein connection with that find.

The global environmantal project "Go Green, not polythene" launched by students of Brazil Secondary School demonstrates the power of our youth, says President Anthony Carmona.

Carmona challenged the students to send in their nomination for the next World Environmental Competition, saying he was confident that they can be winners and bring back the trophy to make T&T proud.

Carmona thanked the Widener University and XTRA Foods, O’Meara, Arima, for helping to make the project a success.

He said he hoped to see a reduction in the amount of plastic bags being used.

Dr Bretton Alvare, chairman of the Department of Antropology, Widener University, said their challenge was not only to shift mindsets, but behaviour of the youth, because he learnt one thing from anthropology—what people think is what they do.

He said they were excited to take on this project. Alvare said the project will include public awareness where they educate consumers and vendors, distribution of promotional materials, posters, magnets, bracelets, brochures, etc.

He said this event alone will not bring about the change we need, but "sustained action on the part of the public and private sector leaders can break our dependence on the use of plastic bags."

Also in attendance was Minister of Education Anthony Garcia.—reporting by Ralph Banwarie

The National Gas Company Limited (NGC) and Caribbean Nitrogen Company (CNC) have quietly returned to the negotiating table after a major stand-off that resulted in the NGC cutting off natural gas to the company and CNC taking the State-owned enterprise to the UK Court of Arbitration.

The stand-off earlier this year, led to the Government accusing CNC of trying to bully the NGC for gas and saying it is not a secret that NGC will have to pay significantly higher prices for gas in 2019.

“The behaviour of CNC which has shareholders who hold significant shareholding in other plants in Point Lisas is instructive and disappointing,” the ministry had said.

CNC had called for the NGC "to be transparent and stop hiding behind vague statements that don’t have any basis in reality."

It also accused NGC’s chairman Gerry Brooks of high handedness in the negotiations: "Even though NGC is in effect owned by the people of Trinidad and Tobago, Mr Brooks’ precipitously heavy-handed tactics have just negatively affected the livelihood of more than 400 people, thereby threatening to wreak further havoc on the economy of the country."

In a memo to its staff, CNC revealed that its negotiating team had resumed talks with the NGC and was working feverishly to get a long-term gas supply contract with the NGC.

The negotiations resumed just after Carnival and brings some hope to 400 workers who are likely to go on the breadline if no agreement can be reached. The shutdown has already resulted in millions of dollars in losses to CNC and potentially millions of US dollars in foregone revenue to the Government because of no production from the plant.

NGC: The matter is still sub-judice

Both CNC and the NGC are remaining tight lipped on the negotiations. Yesterday, the Sunday Guardian sent the following questions to Brooks.

1) Have the NGC and CNC returned to the negotiating table?

2) If so are the parties any closer to reaching an agreement?

3) Is the price of gas still the major point of disagreement?

4) Do you feel confident that an agreement will be reached?

5) Has either party given a timeline for a resolution?

Brooks did not respond, but the company’s communication’s manager Lisa Burkett told the Sunday Guardian, “The matter is still sub-judice and NGC would prefer not to make a comment at this time.”

At the heart of the battle is the price at which the NGC is prepared to sell natural gas to the downstream companies and the continued shortage of natural gas.

Ammonia is also used for the production of plastics, fibres, explosives, nitric acid, and intermediates for dyes and pharmaceuticals.

T&T is the sixth largest producer of ammonia in the world and the largest exporter of the commodity to the United States. A recent study showed that T&T earns the most amount of money per molecule of gas from ammonia than from any other thing produced using natural gas.

This means that taxpayers get the greatest benefit from the natural gas being used to produce ammonia than it does for LNG, methanol or urea.

It effectively means with the continued shutdown, the country is failing to have in operation a major plant that produces its most valuable commodity.

Meanwhile, as uncertainty continues in the downstream sector and in the refining sector at Petrotrin, there are ads in the daily newspaper in which companies from Kuwait are seeking to recruit locals with experience as refinery operators or operators in the local downstream sector.

Hours after his home was allegedly shot up by members of the Unruly Isis gang, police arrested a 26-year-old close male relative of murdered gang leader Selwyn “Robocop” Alexis.

However, family members strongly believe that police officers are either being misled or intentionally targeting the Alexis family.

On Wednesday, the family claimed, police officers from the Central Division Task Force went to a house at Nimblette Street, Enterprise, where they detained Alexis’ relative for questioning. Relatives who were present, including the man’s mother, attempted to speak with the police officers but to no avail.

The man was taken to the Chaguanas Police Station where he was questioned in connection with several shootings in the area and claims that Unruly Isis members are being targeted by four men, including Alexis’ close male relative.

“I was told by the police that they have four names and I know that one of them in prison so how the police could say he and three others were recently involved in a shooting in Enterprise, that people saw them on the road. Something not adding up and the police did not make the proper checks,” the relative said.

Relatives said at the time of the alleged shooting, CCTV footage shows the man who was arrested was at home. "Again, why the police did not look at all the CCTV footage that we have to prove otherwise?

Alexis' relatives intend to seek a meeting with Head of the Police Complaints Authority David West on what they called "constant police harassment." They will also hand over a list of names of officers to the PCA.

On February 10, a white SUV occupied by four of Alexis’ children between the ages of 21 and two was shot at along the Old Southern Main Road. No one was hurt.

Robocop was killed in 2016. Two of his brothers were also killed—one in 2016 and the other in 2017.

Efforts to reach ASP Wayne Mystar for comment were unsuccessful since he did not answer his phone. He also did not respond to a whatsapp message.

Mechanic Roddy Ramsingh went to help a friend fix his car on Friday night, but that good deed cost him his life when gunmen opened fire and killed him.

Police said Ramsingh, 46, aka Lacy of Delhi Road, Fyzabad, was shot several times in the chest and head. His cousin Ramnarine Chaitoo, 47, of the same address, was shot in his feet.

Police believe both men were in the wrong place at the wrong time. Witnesses said around 11:15 pm outside Spot's Bar, a short distance away from Ramsingh's home where he was fixing a car, two men approached and started shooting. The man who was reportedly marked for death scampered out of sight and tried to hide between the cars where Ramsingh was working. The gunmen opened fire, killing Ramsingh and wounding Chaitoo, who was rushed to the San Fernando General Hospital where he was treated. Villagers said another person was wounded but they had no information on his identity.

At Ramsingh's home yesterday, his mother, Brenda, was in a state of shock. Brenda was attending her brother's wake when she got news that her son had died. She describing him as a quiet person.

Sister Sharon Gopie said Ramsingh was a respectful and hard-working person. "He would get up from his bed day or night and go and help anyone who asked him for help." She said Ramsingh was a father figure to her son, Tyler, whose father died two years ago. She said last week Ramsingh told Tyler that "any time the Lord was ready for him, he knew where he was going."

An autopsy is expected to be performed tomorrow at the Forensic Science Centre.

Anyone with information can contact Crime Stoppers at 800TIPS.

The Lady Young Road will remain closed today to facilitate the clearance of debris by the Ministry of Works and Transport in order to be reopened to the public tomorrow. This was announced by Transport Minister Rohan Sinanan yesterday.

Motorists were able to drive from the Morvant Junction up the Lady Young where they had to make a detour down Maryland Hill. The Lookout was used as a staging area for the heavy earth moving equipment and trucks to remove the falling debris and rubble.

Speaking on-site to reporters Sinanan said “The road has been closed off as of 6 o'clock yesterday (Friday).

“We intend to keep the road closed for the entire day today and tomorrow to try to get as much work done as possible.

“We're trying to gain access at this time to the top of the ridge to bring down all the loose material that is up there.

“It is posing a slight challenge however, we expect to have it completed by tomorrow evening and should have the road passable for Monday morning.”

Sinanan said the challenges now being faced by the ministry was as a result of last year's inclement weather.

He said the plan was to walk the entire Lady Young Road with the Ministry of Agriculture and the Works Ministry to identify all the vulnerable areas so at least they can take full advantage of the dry season to address it. Sinanan said they were also doing the same exercise on the Saddle Road and on the road to Maracas.

Twelve families from Cedros and Guayaguayare who lost their homes because of massive coastal erosion are still waiting for housing accommodation.

In an interview yesterday, Councillor for Cedros Shankar Teelucksingh said eight families who have evacuated their homes were asked to go to the Ministry of Housing in Port-of-Spain tomorrow to find out whether they will be given temporary accommodation at the HDC's Lakeview Housing scheme in Point Fortin.

Teelucksingh said the families were finding it difficult to mobilize transport, so the Siparia Regional Corporation hired a maxi taxi to take the affected residents to the HDC. He called on Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley to bring in all state agencies at a constituency office in Cedros so that residents can access help with less hassle.

Teelucksingh also said the Land Settlement Agency has not yet discussed permanent settlement of the affected families, two of whom lost their homes which caved into a precipice near the seaside last week Monday.

Since the calamity, Teelucksingh said corporate T&T as well as the Penal/Debe Regional Corporation, Toco/Sangre Grande Regional Corporation, and the Couva/Talparo/Tabaquite Regional Corporation provided assistance. He also said two private land owners from Ramdhanie Development and Perseverance Estate Development were willing to discuss relocation with the LSA.

Meanwhile, Anthony Gunness, whose home went down the 1,000 feet precipice, said they were eager to get the relocation process going.

"Right now nobody cannot sleep. Two families are in the community centre. Some of us staying by relatives but every night we just walking the road, praying that nothing else happens," Gunness said.

He called on Housing Minister Randall Mitchell to speed up the process. At Guayaguayare, no arrangements have been made to house four families who evacuated their homes because of coastal erosion. MP Rushton Paray called on the Government to provide emergency relief.

Devant Maharaj says as the litigant against the State regarding the property tax, he is calling upon Finance Minister Colm Imbert to withdraw the present amendments to the property tax laws with immediate effect.

In a release from the former transport minister yesterday, Maharaj said “The Government is trying to reintroduce the infamous property tax while my case is still pending before the High Court.

“This is gross disrespect to the court and the rule of law. Imbert is trying to outmanoeuvre the court by introducing this bill which seeks to fundamentally alter the policy and structure of the existing property tax laws to the detriment of an unsuspecting and innocent citizenry.

“This bill is a vulgar attempt to politicize the property tax by removing powers which were previously given to the Commissioner of Valuations and the President as Head of State and place the reins firmly in the hands of Imbert.”

He said the Finance Minister will now be in a position to exert direct political influence and control as Clause 23 A of the Valuation of Land (Amendment) Bill gives him the power to appoint the members of The Valuation Tribunal.

Maharaj said the abolition of appeals to the Tax Appeal Board which was a superior court of record appointed by the President and its replacement with appeals to this Imbert-appointed tribunal smacked of political bias.

He said that that it was a recipe for chaos, victimization, and social disaster.

Maharaj said Laventille West MP Fitzgerald Hinds's statement in Parliament that 150,000 property owners submitted property tax returns was mischievous and misleading. He said many people submitted these returns because they were misled into thinking that they had no choice but to do so because the request mailed to property owners was couched in mandatory terms.

MPS DISAGREE ON COMPLETION OF DEBATE

While Opposition Chief Whip David Lee has accused Government of reneging on an agreement regarding last Friday’s Property Tax/Valuation of Land amendment debate, Government House Leader Camille Robinson-Regis says this isn’t so.

Lee said, “Given the important impact these amendments would have on T&T all Opposition MPs prepared to speak on constituents’ behalf. However, the leader of Government Business indicated they wouldn’t be completing the debate that day but would have three speakers initially and would be obliged if the Opposition did the same.

“I agreed and informed my Parliamentary bench we’d only have six speakers—three on each side—and return another day to complete debate. To our surprise, when our second speaker completed presentation, the Finance Minister stood to conclude debate disregarding the agreement between myself and the Leader of Government Business.”

Robinson-Regis replied, “We did agree to three speakers each, but didn’t agree to have them one after the other. Speakers proceeded but after their second speaker, their third was out of the chamber. When the House Speaker looked around to see who from their side would speak and no one was standing, she recognised the Finance Minister who concluded debate.”

The amendments will be debated in Senate on Tuesday.—Gail Alexander

A lack of funding is one of the main factors that has led to the cancellation of today's Phagwa celebration after 50 years of hosting the event at the Aranguez Savannah, Pundit Satyanan Gosein has said.

The National Phagwa Council of T&T yesterday issued a release stating that due to unforeseen circumstances there would not be any Phagwa celebrations at the venue today.

"Because of funding number one, because of cutbacks and everything, we decided to opt out of the celebrations this year and we want to leave it like that," Gosein told the Sunday Guardian in a telephone interview yesterday.

He chose not to elaborate any further about the situation. "I'm just saying for many factors we have decided to opt out of the celebrations this year."

The National Phagwa Council teamed up with radio station TAJ 92.3FM last year to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Phagwa Celebrations.

After the National Phagwa Council was founded n 1967, Phagwa was brought into national prominence with celebrations being hosted annually at the Aranguez Savannah.

The observance of Phagwa, or Holi as it is known, was introduced to T&T by indentured East Indian labourers around 1845.

The formation of The National Phagwa Council led to Holi being celebrated on a national scale.

Chowtal and Phagwa groups are usually invited to celebrate at the Aranguez Savannah.

The judge assigned to determine whether or not the Law Association of T&T can continue its investigations into allegations of misconduct against Chief Justice Ivor Archie, used to be married to the brother-in law of one of Archie’s attorneys.

Attorney Kerwyn Garcia, a member of Archie’s legal team, yesterday confirmed that Justice Nadia Kangaloo used to be married to his brother-in-law Colin.

Garcia is married to Senate president Christine Kangaloo.

Speaking to the Sunday Guardian yesterday, Garica said there are certain procedures in place for people who have concerns about a judge’s ability to preside impartially in a matter and none of these procedures have been initiated as yet.

“Usually if attorneys appearing before a judge or their clients have a concern about the judge’s ability to be dispassionate and fair they will raise that with the judge, they will make an application for the judge to recuse him or herself and give the basis. Nobody made that application in this case,” Garcia said.

Garcia said because there are systems in place to ensure things are handled above board, his personal view on the situation is irrelevant.

“My own personal view I don’t think is so relevant, but nobody has made such an application (for the judge to recuse herself ) in this case and what I can say is that I have confidence in the system and that the system works and that the system is working correctly and properly,” Garcia said.

Kangaloo is expected to deliver her decision on the matter on Tuesday.

She reserved her decision following submission from lawyers representing both the Law Association and Archie.

Archie is being represented by Ian Benjamin, John Jeremie, SC, Keith Scotland, and Garcia. The Law Association is represented by Christopher Hamel-Smith, Jason Mootoo, Rishi Dass, and Robin Otway.

Weeping for his brain-damaged son Riley, who was taken from his mother’s womb by doctors forceps during an arduous delivery, Randy Jaglal yesterday called for Health Minister Terrence Deyalsingh’s intervention, saying babies were at risk in the old San Fernando General hospital.

Jaglal, of Charlo Village, Penal, said his son was suffering from a bacterial infection, which a doctor told him was caused by the unsanitary condition in the neonatal ward in the old hospital building. The distraught father is now calling for the relocation of the neonatal intensive care ward from the old hospital to the new San Fernando Teaching Hospital.

“There are four rooms upstairs and it is the third room where the bacteria is. More than four newborn babies were infected,” Jaglal claimed.

“It is wrong that these children have to go through this. You have a perfect hospital there (San Fernando Teaching Hospital). Why would you put the children in this unsanitary ward?”

Having waited for more than an hour to speak to Deyalsingh during a function yesterday (See other story), Jaglal eventually met with South West Regional Health Authority CEO Gail Miller-Meade, who said she was aware of the problems.

“We are currently addressing all of that,” Miller-Meade said, advising Jaglal to put his complaint in writing so they could address it as well. However, Jaglal told her he had already lodged complaints since January 18 and nobody ever investigated them.

SWRHA chairman Pravind Ramoutar denied the ward was contaminated, but admitted there was limited space at the neonatal unit which opened up the possibility for infections to spread from one baby to the other. But he said this problem was being rectified.

Deyalsingh also said he was aware of the issues at the neonatal ward.

“I visited the site this morning and the space is too small. International regulations say you must have certain distance between the cots so if one baby has an infection it does not transfer to another. We have identified new space to be converted to a neonatal intensive care unit in the same old hospital, so we can have the proper internationally-recommended spacing,” Deyalsingh said.

“All wards will have infections across the world. What we are doing is institutionalising regular deep-cleaning to make sure if a baby comes in with bacterial infection it will not spread. We deep clean the roof, walls and floors so that it does not spread. “

He said this was an issue occurring for 20 years and it was only now the matter is being addressed.

Dad wants probe of son’s delivery

Jaglal also wants an investigation into how his son ended up being brain-damaged.

The child, whom he fondly calls his prince, was born on December 29 after being stuck in his mother’s passageway for six hours. Jaglal said his wife Nazaran Jaikeran, 34, was admitted to hospital on Boxing Day and was four centimetres dilated, but no attempt was ever made to do a caesarian section or induce labour.

“She was just kept there and when the baby started to come they told her she needed to push, but the baby was stuck,” Jaglal revealed.

After five hours, two attempts were made to vacuum the baby out but this failed and a senior doctor was called. That doctor eventually pulled out the baby using forceps.

Jaglal said his wife has been staying in the SFGH since Riley’s birth, as he suffered brain damage because of lack of oxygen to his brain during the birthing process.

Two weeks after he was born, Jaglal said Riley contracted a bacterial infection from the ward which spread to other babies.

Jaglal said blood samples were taken and he was advised to go to a private hospital to do a TORCH screen, which is a group of blood tests to check for several different infections in a newborn, including toxoplasmosis, rubella cytomegalovirus, herpes simplex, and HIV. After spending $1,200 for the tests, Jaglal said the hospital told him the tests were not needed and further bloodwork would have to be done and sent to a laboratory in Port-of-Spain.

A report from the radiology department of the SFGH showed also the child suffers from hypoxic brain injury, which occurs when the brain is deprived of oxygen.

Jaglal said he wants a thorough investigation into his son’s predicament, saying if labour was induced or a caesarian done, his son could have been born healthy.

Senator Avinash Singh had to jump into a river to preserve his life on Saturday, after being attacked by a swarm of bees.

Up to late yesterday, Singh, Parliamentary Secretary in the Ministry of Agriculture, remained warded at the Eric Williams Medical Sciences Complex, Mt Hope, after being stung by more than a hundred bees.

Singh, a registered farmer, was ploughing his father’s land in Felicity, Chaguanas, when the bees invaded the area and swarmed around him, the T&T Guardian was told.

Agriculture Minister Clarence Rambharat, who spent hours at Singh’s hospital bedside yesterday, said he was allergic to the insects and had to be rushed to hospital, where he received emergency treatment.

Rambharat said: “Avinash was working on a plot that his father plants. He was alone at the time and fled from the tractor. He ended up jumping into a river for safety and was rescued from there by people who heard and saw what was happening.”

Singh was taken by ambulance to the Chaguanas Health Facility where he was stabilised and later transferred to the EWMSC. Rambharat said Singh’s condition was improving yesterday.

“He can move and can speak but he is being supplied with oxygen to assist his breathing,” Rambharat said.

“I have been in touch with him continuously. I spent several hours with him yesterday (Saturday), late into the night.

“He will be spending some more time at the hospital as doctors monitor his breathing and other vital signs. He is allergic to the bee stings and had to be stabilised.”

Health Minister Terrence Deyalsingh said he spoke with Singh’s wife Ria Ragoo and was told he was out of danger.

“All systems worked, he never called for assistance. He got excellent service at Chaguanas Health Facility and he is being treated well.

“He will remain warded for a 48-hour period for observation,” Deyalsingh added. Singh is a University of the West Indies Agricultural Science graduate.

Police are investigating the death of Freeport resident Latchmi Persad.

According to reports, a 35-year-old man who knew Persad went to the Couva Police Station on Saturday and told officers he had strangled Persad, 42, of Ramsamooj Avenue, Chickland, on Friday.

Police visited the house around 2 pm and broke down the door to find Persad’s body in the bedroom. Persad worked at a nearby mini mart and lived alone, as her mother died last year.

The circumstances that led to her death were unclear last evening and police will await the results of an autopsy today. The suspect remains in police custody.

Police are also investigating the murder of a St Vincent national Eric Henry, who was shot and killed in Dow Village, California, on Saturday around 10 pm

Mechanic killed in attack on bar

Police are still searching for two men who opened fire at Spot’s Bar in Fyzabad on Friday night, killing innocent mechanic Roddy Ramsingh.

Investigators said yesterday they do not have a clear description of the suspects although the shooting was captured on video.

Ramsingh’s family believe his death was a case of mistaken identity.

An autopsy is to be done on Ramsingh at the Forensic Science Centre today.

In a separate incident, police are also searching for a masked gunman who robbed Lotto operator Kadisha Duncan on Saturday.

Diego Martin man shot dead

A 65-year-old man was shot dead by intruders at his Wendy Fitzwilliam Boulevard, Diego Martin home on Saturday night.

Nicholas George, a pharmacist, was discovered by the police after neighbours complained of hearing loud noises.

Police said around 10.30 pm neighbours reportedly heard explosions coming from George’s home but did not see any activity coming from the house.

Western Division Task Force officers who were on patrol checked and noticed George’s gate was opened. When the officers opened the door they saw George’s body on the ground in a pool of blood. Detectives said they believe robbery was the motive for the shooting.Homicide officers are continuing investigations.

While hundreds of residents braved extensive floods in East, Central and North Trinidad yesterday, three families from Todd’s Road, Caparo, were left seeking shelter after unusually gusty winds blew off their roofs.

Last night, Juliet Joseph, Maria Gomez and Shena Marie De Leon were desperately trying to find safe and dry lodgings for their families.

De Leon said around 4 pm she was inside her house when she heard a loud crash.

“The entire back shed blow off and the next side of the house by the rooms also went. About quarter of the roof flew off. I was so confused, it sounded like a tsunami,” De Leon told the T&T Guardian.

“The galvanize was spinning and ended up by my neighbour house on the next side. I run by the neighbour because I get so scared.”

She said they had just returned from church and had settled down to eat Sunday lunch when they began hearing the “whoosh” of the wind.

“The neighbour’s roof just fly up and come down and then suddenly our house got clear and there was a different light coming in. When I looked up I saw the roof was gone. The galvanize fly off about 50 feet away. Right now we have people helping to take out the galvanize and we putting tarpaulins on. We cannot sleep in the house because all our clothes, beds and furniture soaked,” Juliet said.

While Joseph’s husband Melvin was busy hammering tarpaulins onto his roofless house, Juliet called for assistance from the authorities.

“We lost mattress, furniture, everything. When the roof blow off we tried to carry whatever we could save to the back of the house, which was still sheltered. Right now we do not know where we will go to spend the night,” Juliet said.

Last night, disaster management teams from the Couva Tabaquite/Talparo Regional Corporations were in the community distributing tarpaulins to the affected families. Villagers also rallied around each other and tried to cover the roofless houses as quickly as possible before more rain fell.

CTTRC chairman Henry Awong said most of the damage occurred at Todd’s Road, Las Lomas and Madras Road.

“We are responding by distributing tarpaulins so that people can have their roofs covered until better can be done. We are providing immediate relief to those affected by extensive flooding,” Awong said.

In the Cunupia region, heavy rains continued during the afternoon period, bringing flooding along Boy Cato Road. Residents said cockroaches and frogs became stuck in their fences as the deluge of floods swept through the area.

Meanwhile, Office of Disaster Preparedness head Capt Neville Wint said he was collecting reports from all the regional corporations to ascertain the level of damage.

“Apart from the roofs that we lost ,we have extensive flooding in the East West corridor and the ODPM is on standby to assist in incident responses,” Wint said.

Industrial Court president Deborah Thomas-Felix says T&T needs “to get up, speak up and stand up against all forms of injustice,” as the country continues to witness and experience the rapid transformation of society from a peaceful nation to one plagued by continued violence and injustice against women, men, boys and girls.

Thomas-Felix made the comment at the thanksgiving service and launch of International Women’s Day 2018 at the Holy Trinity Church, Port-of-Spain, yesterday.

The event, themed, Get Up, Stand Up, Speak Up For Gender Justice, was hosted by the Network of NGOs for the Advancement of Women.

Thomas-Felix said in 2017 the issue of child marriage, which challenged the age of marriage under Hindu, Muslim and Orisha law for girls from as low as age 12, was debated in parliament and in several quarters across the country.

She said while it could be argued that the figures for children and teenagers who actually got married were relatively low, with UNICEF estimating that two per cent of girls were married by 15 and eight per cent by 18, she noted that Attorney General Faris Al-Rawi had cited a figure of 3,478 child marriages which occurred in T&T between 1996 and 2016.

“And I wondered why does this issue require debate? To compound the problem, of that figure, as the Attorney General informed, 3,404 were girls while 74 were boys under the age of 18, illustrating the pervasive influence of long-standing beliefs about the role of the girl child and that of women,” Thomas-Felix said.

“The fact that such laws were retained for so long and have been defended in some quarters may suggest first, a degree of societal comfort at some level with the philosophy and value system supporting child marriage; and second, a lack of urgency on the part of those who govern and society to seriously address the overall treatment of women and girls, especially in the areas of domestic violence and abuse.”

She said this also underscored one key instrument in the arsenal against gender-based inequities, which was the continuous examination of the law and our legal framework with a view to identifying areas for change.

“This must be put on the front burner and at the forefront of any decision we make as NGOs and as policy makers. The reason is that the issue is not only one of gender justice; for me, it is one that speaks to fundamental human injustice in the context of our broader human rights commitments,” Thomas-Felix said.

She said any action, law and value system in any society which rendered a woman inferior resulted in violence against all and constituted a grave violation of the fundamental tenets of not just gender injustice, but was a form of systemic, structural, accepted violence and injustice that has decimated and continues to eviscerate citizens daily.

“Robbed and hijacked.”

This was the cry of United national Congress members yesterday, as they claimed they were denied the opportunity to make contributions to debate on the Valuation of Land Act and Property Tax Amendment Act 2018 after the bill was wound up contrary to what was agreed to on Friday.

Speaking at a press conference at the Opposition’s Port-of-Spain office, Chief Whip David Lee said not only was the UNC shut down but so too were some 350,000 people who make up various Opposition constituencies.

“What was displayed in Parliament on Friday was a blatant dishonesty and oppression by this Government and on the people of T&T. The Parliament is the people’s place where the people’s views are heard,” Lee said.

He said they now believe Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley and Finance Minister Colm Imbert, who led off debate, did not want to bring any sort of clarity and information on what was described as a “draconian piece of legislation.”

Lee said at the beginning of the sitting there was an agreement between himself and Leader of Government Business Camille Robinson-Regis regarding how the debate would proceed.

“She came to me and told me that she would only be fielding three speakers and I would have to field three speakers and she would like to end the sitting on Friday at around 6.30 pm...not the debate. I asked her was the debate ended and she said, ‘No we would come back at another time to speak and another day to debate the bills.’ So clearly, on Friday the debate was not supposed to have ended because she gave me the assurance the debate would continue for another sitting and maybe more than one other sitting,” Lee said.

He said a “traditional decorum” practised in the House was that the Government would lead off a bill, following which an Opposition member would respond. But he said when Opposition MP Barry Padarath ended his contribution around 5.10 pm on Friday, they expected Attorney General Faris Al-Rawi to respond, but this did not occur.

“We were shocked that he did not get up to speak and that the Finance minister stood up to wind-up the debate. Clearly we were hijacked,” Lee said.

He said Padarath was at the time raising issues from the Hansard in 2009, in which Rowley, a backbencher then under the Patrick Manning administration, was “dead against” Property Tax.

“Clearly, Rowley did not want to explain to the population why all of a sudden he had this change of heart,” Lee added.

Lee said they will now have to review the Standing Orders to see if they have any recourse, adding they will also have to work with the Speaker of the House to ensure there was fairness and equity.

Tabaquite MP Dr Suruj Rambachan, who was also present and echoed similar sentiments, said Parliament is supposed to be a place where there was trust and decorum.

“One expects that the agreements that are made will in fact be respected. When that trust is betrayed it speaks volumes as to how that Government would behave in terms of public matters and matters of public affairs. This matter of the Property Tax is a matter that is of concern to the entire population,” Rambachan said.

Referring to an example given by Imbert that some home owners would have to pay $81 per month in property tax, Rambachan said for many families that was a lot.

“Eighty-one dollars per month means nothing to a minister making $50,000 a month, but it means a lot to person working for a minimum wage of $15 per hour...the salary of a minister is 24 times that person. This shows the callousness and the lack of compassion the Government has for people,” Rambachan said.

The UNC said it intends to hold mass public meetings throughout the country to inform its members and the public that the views of the people could no longer be heard in Parliament.

AG: UNC caught napping

The Opposition was caught napping.

This was the response from Attorney General Faris Al-Rawi when contacted about the Opposition’s claims yesterday.

Noting it was Opposition MP Bhoe Tewarie’s turn to speak but he was not in the House at the time, the AG said on three occasions House Speaker asked if there was “any other Opposition member to speak.”

“Not a single member stood up. The Speaker also asked if the Finance Minister should wrap up and not a single member stood up and that was when the Finance Minister proceeded,” Al-Rawi said.

He said the Opposition showed blatant lack of preparation and indiscipline, adding that its members were “caught napping.”

Saying the Government had done nothing wrong and didn’t need to apologise regarding the Opposition’s allegations, the AG added, “Opposition member Bhoe Tewarie was not even in his seat. The Opposition was also struggling with relevance and on several occasions the Speaker had to remind the members about this.”

He added that yesterday’s press Opposition press conference was “nothing more than an excuse to explain its lack of preparation.”

Robinson-Regis meanwhile told CNC3 last night that while an agreement was reached that three speakers from each side would debate, there was no agreement that this would be one speaker from each side at a time. But Tewarie said he was scheduled to speak, but argued the AG was due to speak before him.

Heavy showers yesterday caused severe flooding in parts of North and East Trinidad, while Central was hit flooding and high winds which took off some roofs. Port-of-Spain, Barataria, Morvant, St Augustine, Piarco were hardest hit along the East-West corridor.

Motorists and commuters were delayed in traffic pile-ups due to flood waters which rose along the Eastern Main Road, Priority Bus Route and the Churchill Roosevelt Highway.

Trapped in their vehicles, many of them shot videos of flood waters along the Lady Young Road and Barataria Roundabout, which many of them shared on social media. Motorists complained about the Morvant River overflowing its banks at the corner of the Lady Young Road and the PBR and the extreme bumper to bumper traffic, but sent voice notes warning other motorists to avoid the area.

There was also flooding at the departure and arrival lounge of the domestic area at the Piarco International Airport. Videos of passengers and airport personnel manoeuvring their way through the waters were also shared on social media.

In an interview yesterday, an irate El Socorro resident said she was tired of the flooding in her area.

“I was going to buy a chicken and the roads were flooded out and the yard was full of water again. They don’t give me nothing and I still flooding out. I want them to fix the road and water settling when rain is not falling,” she said.

The resident, who did not want to be identified, said she has not received any compensation despite complaints made to the region corporation from previous flooding events.

San Juan Laventille Regional Corporation chairman Anthony Roberts was at the airport having just returned home from abroad yesterday.

“Our disaster management unit would have a sense of what is happening,” he said.

Port-of-Spain deputy mayor Hillan Morean meanwhile said the Port-of-Spain City Corporation did not receive reports of flooding.

“Sometimes the drains can’t take it after it rains and it subsides after that, but I didn’t receive calls to indicate any disaster,” he said.

The T&T Weather Centre reported flooding in Port-of-Spain, Tunapuna, Morvant, San Juan, Chaguanas, St Augustine Circular Road and Macoya. The ODPM said it also received reports of flooding in St Helena, Valsayn and lower Barrackpore.

In a release, the Meteorological Office said the heavy showers were due to a line of thunder storms moving across north Trinidad.

When contacted, one of the meteorologists said they received five reports of flooding at Wrightson Road, Port-of-Spain; Pasea, Tunapuna; the Barataria Runabout and Preysal.

The Met Office said inclement weather will continue to affect T&T for the next 24 hours and “rainfall accumulations are expected to yield up to 60 mm or even greater in some areas.”

In its own release, the Airports Authority of T&T said as a result of unusual heavy rainfall serious flooding occurred in and around the North Terminal and South Terminal Buildings at the Piarco International Airport.

“Please be advised that the authority is currently making every effort to ensure that flooding is mitigated and managed to ensure the safety and comfort of passengers, employees and airport users. Please be advised that flight operations at Piarco International Airport continue as normal,” it said.

Caroni Central MP Dr Bhoe Tewarie says the Opposition wants to propose a number of significant amendments to the Property Tax Amendment Act 2018 and a moratorium on taxes because citizens are already overburdened.

Speaking at a press conference yesterday, Tewarie said this was the tenth tax measure levied on the population.

“The Minister of Finance presented this bill as if everything was fine and there was a consensus about it. I was certainly prepared to speak and I would have followed the AG if he had spoken,” Tewarie said of Friday’s debate on the bill.

Tewarie said among the issues he wanted to highlight was the fact that there was “no greater clarity” on how the tax would be calculated.

“Although the Finance Minister used the example of a $3000 rental property, he did not explain how that would be calculated. I don’t know about the authenticity or the reasonableness of the methodology in calculating the tax,” Tewarie said.

He said the Opposition was also prepared to propose a one per cent tax on non-productive agricultural land only, but only after a four-year period.

Tewarie said Government “gave a set of incentives” for agriculture in the last budget, but said “giving incentives on the one hand and taxation on the other” was counterproductive. He said the proposed one per cent tax would give farmers an opportunity to bring unproductive lands to productive use after four years.

Saying Government’s proposed tax of three per cent to home owners could be steep depending on the calculation system, Tewarie said the Opposition wanted to put forward a two per cent tax to be phased in over four years.

“We wanted also that people could make partial payments,” Tewarie added.

He said the Opposition also wanted to propose a four per cent reduction on taxes on commercial properties which would be phased in over four years.

“A member of the constituency told me the PNM ‘make this place hard like banga.’ So you can’t just come and drop a tax like that. The amendments does not make any distinction between commercial properties and residential commercial properties, so we wanted that distinction to be clear and we wanted that phased in as well,” Tewarie added.