The University of the West Indies South Campus is supposed to be handed over by contractors in July but after spending more than $420 million on the controversial project, extensive works remain undone.

Sources said the slow release of funds was hampering the completion of the project and it was highly unlikely that the campus will be ready for its first intake of students in September.

The dormitory building has already been erected but interior fixtures such as cupboards, floor tiles, installation of toilets and plumbing remain undone.

The moot court, which was the first building to be set up, still has an unfinished floor. No works have been done on the pavilion which is overgrown with weeds and the library roof is still being installed.

Construction of Road Number 8 has not been completed by the contractor because of insufficient funds, the source said.

Last week, contractors blocked off the M2 Ring Road on either side to build a drain to alleviate flooding.

“This area usually has flood so the drain was built so that the water could run off and not gather in front of the campus,” the source said.

When Guardian Media visited the site, construction workers were on the compound washing down the access roads. A few buildings were painted but the main administrative areas, students’ union buildings, library, and dormitories were in various stages of completion.

The construction of the campus, which began under the People’s Partnership government, has been rife with controversy since its inception. The selection of design-build contractor China Jiangsu International Economic-Technical Cooperation Corporation (CJIETCC) was opposed by the T&T Local Content Chamber and the T&T Contractors Association who felt that based on foreign firm’s track record on other projects, the contract should not have been granted to a foreign company.

The Chinese firm received $350 million out of the $420 million spent on the project, which was financed by the Public Sector Investment Programme (PSIP). A source at UWI said legal steps have been taken to recover monies from the company since the campus should have been completed by May and handed over to the UWI in July.

During an interview in March, a senior official at UWI confirmed that the law campus was not going to be housed at the South Campus but the official directed further queries to UWI’s marketing department.

Guardian Media was told that final decisions on which faculties would be housed at the campus have not yet been made.

“Project discussions aimed at determining optimal use of the facilities are still underway. As such, no final decision regarding use and relocation of the campus’ operations has been made,” UWI said.

UWI Pro-Vice Chancellor and campus principal Prof Brian Copeland stated in an email, “At every stage of this project we remain cognisant of the significant amount of taxpayers’ dollars that have been spent on this campus even before construction stopped. It is incumbent on us to complete the works and then seek to maximise the site’s full potential for the benefit of current and future citizens.”

Voters in T&T are free to vote for whomever they wish, said Opposition Leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar, in response to statements from Sat Maharaj, Secretary General of the Sanatan Dharma Maha Sabha.

Maharaj, on a television broadcast last Friday, had called on Hindus in T&T to “free up the Hindu votes” in the upcoming 2020 general election as he expressed his disagreement with Persad-Bissessar over her open support for on-the-job (OJT) Nafisah Nakhid who was turned away from the Lakshmi Girls’ Hindu College because she wore a hijab. The school is operated by the Maha Sabha.

“I think that every voter in our country is entitled to vote on issues and on who they think will best serve the interests of the people of T&T. I am not going to get into any lockjaw with Mr Maharaj as he has done a tremendous work in the country, his organisation and therefore it is not about him or me, it is about what is in the best interest of the country,” she said.

Persad-Bissessar spoke to the media yesterday after giving remarks at the St Joseph Presbyterian Church’s service celebrating the 150th Anniversary of the Presbyterian Church in T&T.

Last Tuesday, Nakhid posted her experience on social media of being disallowed to perform teaching duties at the Lakshmi Girls’ Hindu College in St Augustine, because of her religious wear.

The story sparked outrage by some citizens, even from the Hindu community, and Persad-Bissessar, who issued an official release in support of Nakhid.

In response, Maharaj revoked an invitation to Persad-Bissessar where she was due to deliver the feature address on Indian Arrival Day, March 30 at the school. He said Persad-Bissessar will “pay a hell of a price” for her comments in support of Nakhid. He also banned the Opposition Leader from the school’s compound.

Responding to his threat, she said: “When you get to my age, nothing surprises you anymore.”

She also said she does not believe in boycotting the Maha Sabha events or any other organisation.

“If you were planning to go, then go. If you were not planning to go, then stay at home.”

She added: “This is not about Kamla, it is not about me, so I do not want to get drawn into a tit-for-tat across the country. He has his constitutional rights, freedom of expression, he has his rights and his events so I take all of it in stride. But I am not going to be drawn in any tit-for-tat across the table,” she said.

She said “maybe” she will contact Maharaj concerning the row between the two.

Maharaj had defended the school’s decision on the basis that someone wearing a hijab does not conform with the school’s code of conduct because it was a religious symbol not affiliated with Hinduism.

The matter has been referred by the Ministry of Education to the Attorney General Faris Al-Rawi, who in turn, is seeking the High Court’s interpretation on the issue.

Education Minister Anthony Garcia says he has received a report from the principal of the Lakshmi Girls’ Hindu College which gave details of the incident where OJT Nafisah Nakhid was turned away from the school because she was wearing a hijab.

He said the report quotes the principal as saying that the conversation with Nakhid ended “very amicably” and the person left.

Garcia said the principal’s report indicated that Nakhid came to the school and the principal said she sat with her in the presence of the vice principal and they explained to her the position of the Board, which is “that it does not allow persons on the compound wearing the hijab.”

The principal in her report stated that the school is on the Maha Sabha compound. According to Garcia, the principal states the conversation ended “very amicably and the person left. That is the report I have. I am not commenting on the report, that is what the report states.”

The report is similar to what Nakhid has been saying after she went public with the issue. The graduate in mechanical engineering from UWI said last week that she was “traumatised” by the incident.

Garcia said the Ministry has asked Maha Sabha Secretary General Sat Maharaj for a report. “I will refer both reports to the Attorney General,” he said yesterday.

But with or without a report from Maharaj, he said, “Cabinet has decided that we will seek an interpretation from the Court. This is a very sensitive issue. It is generally felt that the action of the Maha Sabha is contrary to the Constitution of this country. It is therefore important to get an interpretation from the court,” Garcia said.

Yesterday, UNC Member of Parliament for Tabaquite Dr Suruj Rambachan, himself a pundit, said he did not believe that Sat Maharaj’s statement urging Hindus to “free the Hindu vote,” and to vote for anyone other than Persad-Bissessar would hurt the UNC.

Rambachan said voting patterns since 1981 have shown that the electorate is not “controlled by anybody. The electorate is perhaps much more mature than we make them out to be, and should not be underestimated.”

He said he felt sure that in time to come when the matter goes to court that Maharaj would “elucidate on the reasons he took” but we have to respect him for the position he took. In this society we must never disrespect anyone for taking a strong position,” Rambachan said.

A 12-year-old body was shot when four gunmen opened fire at a house at Balandra on Saturday night. Two other occupants of the house were also shot, police said.

The three victims underwent emergency surgery at the Sangre Grande District Hospital and remain warded there in a stable condition, hospital officials said.

Reynaldo Joseph 12, a Form 1 student, was shot on his chest, while his relatives, Azim Ali, was shot on his chest and Ronald Maraj was shot on his left leg. Police said around 11.30 pm on Saturday they responded to reports of a shooting at Robert Trace, Rampanalagas.

Officers of Toco Police Station responded and saw a brown KIA Sportage vehicle on fire and a man standing on the opposite side of the road, who refused to speak with them. Investigating officers said several people, including four children and a baby, were watching television when they were alerted by a noise on the roof and dogs barking.

Ali and Maraj went outside to investigate and were shot. Joseph, who was standing in the corridor of the house was also struck by a bullet. The other occupants of the house were taken to the police station where they spent the night.

Police retrieved 15 nine millimetre shell casing and three live rounds of ammunition at the scene.

RALPH BANWARIE
 

Two local poets will be heading to London in September having been short-listed to receive major international literary awards by the Forward Prizes for Poetry.

They are Vahni Capildeo, a Trinidadian poet based in the UK and Shivanee Ramlochan who lives in Trinidad.

Capildeo is a previous winner of a Forward Prize in 2016 and has now achieved the rare feat of being short-listed again for the award just two years later with her book, Venus as a Bear.

Ramlochan, whose début book of poems, Everyone Knows I Am a Haunting, has been short-listed for the 2018 Felix Dennis Prize for Best First Collection. In a statement from the Bocas Lit Fest, Ramlochan was commended for being the first Trinidadian writer living at home who has been short-listed for the award.

Considered among the most prestigious international awards for poetry, the Forward Prizes have been awarded since 1992. In recent years, an unprecedented number of poets of Caribbean birth have been short-listed or named winners.

Both Capildeo and Ramlochan launched their respective books at the NGC Bocas Lit Fest along with 2018 writer, the Iranian-American poet Kaveh Akbar.

In a statement, Bocas festival director Marina Salandy-Brown said, “This is exciting news. If we ever needed more proof that our literature is in excellent health and deserves celebrating, this is it. Many congratulations to Vahni and Shivanee, and also to Kaveh Akbar, all of whom delighted us at last month’s NGC Bocas Lit Fest.”

The winners of the 2018 Forward Prizes will be announced on September 18, at a ceremony in London.

There is a high risk of diseases such as Foot and Mouth crossing the border from Venezuela and entering T&T, said Agriculture Minister Clarence Rambharat.

He said such a scenario was “very worrisome and if it gets here it will decimate our livestock sector,” as he referred to the influx of Venezuelans along the southwestern peninsula bringing goods to trade for food.

Rambharat was speaking at the launch of the “Don’t Pack a Pest Programme” at the VIP Lounge, Piarco International Airport last Friday.

The Ministry of Agriculture’s “Don’t Pack a Pest” outreach programme is a collaborative effort with the United States Department of Agriculture.

“The programme is designed to raise public awareness regarding the risks associated with passengers potentially introducing pests and diseases into T&T, the US and the Caribbean region, by carrying agricultural and food items while they travel. Thousands of pounds of agricultural products are confiscated at ports of entry from passengers. Some travellers do not know that these products are prohibited. These uncertified items pose a serious threat to our food and fibre resources as exotic pests can enter through this pathway and become established, causing millions of dollars to manage or eradicate.”

According to the Ministry of Agriculture, this programme will include the placement of signs at strategic areas in the Customs areas of the Piarco Airport, along with the distribution of other public education materials to the travelling public.

John McIntyre, Charge D’Affaires, US Embassy in T&T who also spoke at the event said the programme is important for T&T and the rest of the region.

“The volume of travel between the US and the Caribbean is significant. Approximately 1.4 million people from the Caribbean visited the US in 2015. I think those numbers are the same going into 2018 and 2019.

About 7.8 million US citizens visited the Caribbean that same year. As the volume of international travellers increases, so does the possibility that travellers could unknowingly introduce a serious threat to the agriculture eco-system and natural resources not only to the US but also T&T and other Caribbean neighbours.”

A 28-year-old race car driver was killed yesterday at the Wallerfield Racing Circuit, off Arima.

Police said Darren Sirjoo, of San Louis Road, Sangre Grande had just crossed the finish line when he ran crashed into a metal pole.

The vehicle flipped several times upon impact.

He was taken to the Arima District Hospital where he later died, police said.

The engine of the Lexus Altezza was ripped out in the crash.

President of the Trinidad and Tobago Automobile Sports Association Fyzool Madan said Sirjoo had been racing for the past five years.

He said the vehicle Sirjoo was driving had passed all the safety checks prior to the race.

Madan said Sirjoo lost control at the finish line.

Investigations into the accident will continue today at the site.

Hijab-wearing on-the-job-trainee (OJT) Nafisah Nakhid, who is currently at the centre of a religious controversy involving Sanatan Dharma Maha Sabha secretary general Sat Maharaj, has been transferred and started her first day of training at the Ministry of Rural Development and Local Government yesterday. Nakhid, 23, a mechanical engineer graduate from the University of the West Indies, St Augustine, reported for duty at the ministry’s Mechanical Engineering Unit at Kent House in Maraval at 8 am. Part of her duties will be to assist in the procurement and co-ordination of vehicles for all 14 regional corporations. The vehicles also include excavators, backhoes and dump trucks. Yesterday afternoon, Nakhid was taken by the ministry’s acting permanent secretary Stara Ramlogan and formally introduced to line Minister Kazim Hosein. Hosein expressed happiness over the resolution to Nakhid’s OJT placement.An official at the ministry told the T&T Guardian that Nakhid seemed to have “settled in comfortably on her first day.”“It is something that we try to do to make sure all new employees are introduced to all departments. We spoke to her, as well as the minister, and she is happy and we are happy that she is in a comfortable place,” the ministry official, who did not want to be named, said.“The minister is all about pushing the young people, especially when someone wants to serve their country and she has indicated this especially in the field that she is qualified in.”

Nakhid’s reassignment came one week after she reported for duty at the SDMS’ Lakshmi Girls’ Hindu College but was denied the opportunity to train at the school unless she agreed to remove her hijab while on the compound. However, Nakhid, who has been wearing the hijab for the past 15 years, refused to agree to this, believing it to be discrimination and left the compound.

Nakhid said she was told this was a decision by the school’s Sanatan Dharma Maha Sabha (SDMS) board of management.In an immediate response, the Ministry of Education said the school was government-assisted and the act was deemed “a flagrant disregard of the laws enshrined in the Constitution of Trinidad and Tobago.” But SDMS secretary general Sat Maharaj is standing by the decision, saying anyone who is accepted to teach at the college has to conform with the school’s code of conduct and dress code. The ministry has since taken the matter to the court but is being challenged by the board. Opposition Leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar was meanwhile banned from entering the school by Maharaj after she too condemned the SDMS’ act. (See other story)

Contacted for comment on the transfer yesterday, Education Minister Anthony Garcia admitted he did not even know Nakhid was reassigned but expressed happiness for her. He, however, assured the ministry will continue its action against the SDMS. Also yesterday, the Equal Opportunities Commission (EOC), in a release, highlighting Nakhid’s issue said the body is empowered to investigate these complaints and, where possible, to bring the parties together for conciliation. “This service is free of charge. If the complaint cannot be resolved at the level of the EOC, the matter may be referred to the Equal Opportunity Tribunal (‘EOT’) which is a superior court of record and is presided over by a judge. The EOT is empowered to make orders, declarations and awards of compensation as it deems fit,” the release added.The EOC also reminded members of the public that “denying employment to someone on the basis of their religion may constitute discrimination, and is prohibited by the Equal Opportunity Act Chapter 22:03 [Act No 69 of 2000 as amended] (‘the Act’ and/or ‘the EOA’).”“Employment under the EOA includes employment as an apprentice, trainee and even as a contractor,” the EOC said. Efforts to reach Nakhid on her reassignment up to press time were unsuccessful as all calls went unanswered. However, prior to her reassignment, Nakhid was said to be weighing legal action and had also called for a national discussion on the issue of discrimination on the basis of religion.

Investigations are underway to determine whether human error or infrastructure at the Frankie Boodram Wallerfield International Raceway led to the untimely death of Darren Sirjoo on Sunday. The venue will remain closed until further notice.

Sirjoo’s death has shaken up the entire circuit and drag racing fraternity. Yesterday, T&T Automobile Sports Association (TTASA) president Fyzool Madan issued a letter to members saying information regarding Sirjoo and the machinery involved was being gathered “to help us understand the cause”.

He denied claims that the car was not equipped with all safety measures, saying, “Contrary to claims on social media, the car was fully equipped with a roll-cage and other necessary safety gear.”Extending his sincerest condolences to Sirjoo’s family, Madan assured that as soon as all facts are gathered a full report will be shared with the membership.

“However, our full attention is focused right now on doing what any of us would want in a time like this: compassion and togetherness for his dear ones,” Madan said.

He assured that Sirjoo’s memory “lives on at the race track where you found so much joy.”

Sirjoo was a member of the T&T Coast Guard and was employed as a writer. Public Relations Officer Lt Sherron Manswell yesterday also extended condolences to Sirjoo’s family on his passing.

According to reports, Sirjoo, 28, of San Louis Road, Sangre Grande, had just crossed the finish line when he crashed into a metal pole. The vehicle, a Lexus Altezza, flipped several times on impact and its engine was ripped out.

According to an official, Sirjoo had been racing for the past five years and his vehicle had passed all the safety checks prior to the race. A fellow racer and colleague, who wished not to be identified, told the T&T Guardian the “grief was beyond measure”.

“We do not know how to even begin to cope with this tragedy. It has shaken us all up and after this we would need to be told about the beefing up of safety measures for us, because our lives are precious in the end.”

Eyewitnesses claimed the Fire Service was not at the track when the accident occurred and a wrecker had to be used to free Sirjoo from the wreckage.

On CNC3’s Morning Brew yesterday, racing industry veteran Frankie “Frankie” Boodram said Sirjoo’s tragic death was a sad day for motorsport.

Boodram, who made it clear he was not present at the track on Sunday, said based on his experience, accidents similar to Sirjoo’s may be labelled as “driver error.”

“I think it all depends on the driver at the time, the condition of the track or what could have happened. I drove in all different types of tracks and in cases like this it is always a driver error, in most times, timing, calculation in the mind as to how to approach and what you do,” Boodram said.

Asked if the track was safe, Boodram said: “It is not about the track…how do you define if a track is safe?”

He added that if there is a situation with the track, the track marshals should have been able to detect it and contact the race director to be correct the issue or close it off.But in an interview on I95FM yesterday, champion drag racer Rishi Kanick blamed the “blatant disregard by the management of the event by not implementing basic standard protocols.”

Kanick, who was at the event, said there were no fire tenders, which is mandatory at such events because the jaws of life may have to be used to free drivers from wreckages. He said the lack of the proper hydraulic tool meant they could not immediately remove Sirjoo from the car. A wrecker was eventually used to free Sirjoo from the wreckage, his relatives told the T&T Guardian yesterday.

“Onlookers and supporters tried to help. The environment was chaotic,” Kanick said.

Kanick, who has also raced in the US, said sufficient concrete barriers or guard railings around the track would have prevented Sirjoo’s car from crashing into the metal pole. He referred to an incident on Saturday, where racer Ryan Garcia crashed his car during a test run.

“He crashed his car in the opposite direction to where Sirjoo’s car crashed but the difference is that that side had a concrete wall that protected a vertical steel structure. He rolled and remained in the shutdown area and was able to walk out free. Sirjoo crashed into the vertical steel structure on the other side that did not have sufficient concrete barrier,”Kanick claimed.

Kanick was the promoter for the 2016 CMRC event in which a car driven by David Lyons went airborne and ran into a stand full of spectators at the hairpin turn. He said after that incident he sold his car and pulled out of CMRC. He said, however, that the TTASA, continues to not enforce all safety measures properly.

Efforts to reach Madan for comment on this were unsuccessful yesterday as all calls to his cell phone went unanswered.

The Sanatan Dharma Maha Sabha (SDMS) is denying that its policy barring the wearing of the hijab in its schools breaches citizens’ constitutional right to freedom of religious beliefs.

Lawyers representing the religious organisation made the statement yesterday when they wrote to the Office of the Attorney General seeking information on the Government’s proposed interpretation lawsuit over the issue.

In the 10-page letter, attorney Kiel Taklalsingh questioned the initial complaint by on-the-job-trainee (OJT) Nafisah Nakhid which caused a massive public furore and led to the proposed intervention by the Government last week. Nakhid, who holds a degree in mechanical engineering, had initially claimed she was barred from entering Lakshmi Girls’ Hindu College for a placement interview unless she was willing to remove her hijab—the traditional Islamic headscarf.

Taklalsingh vehemently denied the claim as he suggested Nakhid was allowed on the compound but told of the policy during the placement interview. Referring to Nakhid’s complaints published on her Youtube channel, Taklalsingh denied the school’s hijab policy meant that it discriminated against Muslims.

“The SDMS has absolutely no policy and/or rule which forbids Muslims from entering its compound and it is a matter of record that teachers and students of the Islamic faith attend and fully participate within the operations of Lakshmi Girls’ High School,” Taklalsingh wrote. While he said the hijab is a personal choice based on an individual’s interpretation of the Holy Quran, Taklalsingh said his client did not subscribe to such a view. He also noted that the policy is applied to the “orni,” a traditional headpiece worn by Hindus.

“While the SDMS takes no issue with Ms Nakhid’s right to proudly display her hijab, the SDMS trusts and expects that Ms Nakhid and indeed the State should also respect that the SDMS respectfully disagrees with the religious expressions and philosophical underpinnings associated with the hijab and reserves the right to prohibit the use of same within its compound and the educational institutions under its purview,” Taklalsingh said. Taklalsingh referred to two international cases over the barring of the hijab at education institutions, which were decided by the European Court of Human Rights and the United Kingdom’s House of Lords. In essence, both courts ruled that freedom to practice religion does not equate to the right to display religious symbols, garments and paraphernalia openly without restriction.

“Indeed, while the SDMS has been accused of being “discriminatory” and “antiquated,” it seems that modern jurisprudence supports the view held by the SDMS,” he said.

Taklalsingh also claimed Government’s interpretation claim over the issue is discriminatory to his client, as he noted other religious bodies impose similar rules at their educational institutions.

He said: “For example, Hindu students are not allowed to wear certain religious symbols (raksha, tilak, mangal sutra) within the premises of ASJA schools, and it is a well-known fact that teachers of the Hindu faith cannot hold senior positions within Roman Catholic schools.”

“Indeed, these are all permutations of the Concordat and if in fact the State wishes to subject organisations to the expense and scrutiny of legal proceedings, it should not do so in a conspicuously unfair manner by targeting the SDMS but rather engage in an exercise (legal or otherwise) with all denominational boards to demarcate permissible limits of autonomy across the entire education sector.”

Saying the SDMS is also not responsible for the OJT programme, Taklalsingh noted that it merely partnered with the National Training Agency to facilitate work experience for those enrolled.

“Indeed, the right to be enrolled in this State programme cannot equate to a right to be enrolled specifically at the Lakshmi Girls’ Hindu School,” he said.

While Taklalsingh also requested all information related to the lawsuit, he suggested it would be counterproductive.

“Please be advised that the priority of the SDMS and the Lakshmi Girls’ Hindu School is not to participate in contrived legal proceedings but rather to achieve consistent academic excellence and to produce a cadre of independent, patriotic, educated and productive young women of which the entire society can be proud,” he said. The SDMS is also being represented by Seenath Jairam, SC, Dinesh Rambally, Karina Singh, Desiree Sankar and Stefan Ramkissoon.

High Court Judge Kevin Ramcharan appeared in court yesterday charged with driving while under the influence of alcohol.

Ramcharan’s appearance was eagerly anticipated by lawyers, Judiciary staff and members of the public who were speculating about it in the corridors of the courts and in social media group chats from early yesterday morning. However, the turned out to be anti-climatic as the case was adjourned without the charge being read to Ramcharan or him being called upon to enter a plea.

Dressed in a grey suit, Ramcharan, who was charged following an accident in Maraval on Saturday night, appeared before Magistrate Duane Murray in the Port-of-Spain Magistrates’ Court around 10 am.

Ramcharan sat silently on a bench reserved for police officers as he waited on Murray to adjourn the cases on his extensive list and call his case. When he eventually made his way into the prisoner’s enclosure and Murray was about to read the charge, he (Murray) was interrupted by Ramcharan’s lawyer Keith Scotland.

Scotland asked if Murray could differ reading the charge and called on him to enter a plea, as he (Ramcharan) wanted to speak to the head of his legal team, Gilbert Peterson, SC, who is abroad.

Inspector Ian Carthy, of the T&T Police Service (TTPS)’s legal department, did not oppose the move as he said the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) would need time to appoint a State attorney to prosecute the case.

Carthy also sought to make an application to correct an error on the official documents made by investigators. Investigators wrote that Ramcharan was charged under Section 70(4)(1) of the Motor Vehicle and Road Traffic Act, when he was in fact charged under Section 70 (A)(1).

Scotland said he and Peterson would use the adjournment to consider the application. Ramcharan is expected to reappear before Murray on July 3.

During the hearing, Murray certified Ramcharan’s $15,000 bail bond that was granted by a Justice of the Peace shortly after his arrest. While Scotland noted the bail was high, he did not seek a variation.

Ramcharan had 12 cases scheduled before him in the Port-of-Spain High Court yesterday morning. Litigants and their attorneys were informed of the adjournment of the cases to June 13 via a notice that was placed on the door of the courtroom.

Legal sources said yesterday that the Judicial and Legal Service Commission (JLSC), which is tasked with appointing, promoting and disciplining judicial officers, will only meet to determine if action should be taken against Ramcharan after the case is determined by Murray.

According to reports, around 11 pm Saturday, Ramcharan was driving his Land Rover Discovery when he was involved in an accident along Saddle Road near Pizza Boys/Church’s Chicken. Police were summoned to the scene and Ramcharan was administered a breathalyser test. He allegedly registered a reading of 55 microgrammes of alcohol for every 100 millilitres of breath. The legal limit is 35.

The charge was laid by PC Rondell Romany of the St Clair Police Station.

If you have a dog kennel, gazebo, tool shed or prayer room on your premises a value will be applied to these structures to determine the total rental value of your property when the property tax goes into effect.

As Parliament sat to consider amendments from the Senate to the Property Tax Amendment Bill, Opposition Leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar raised questions about Section 3A, which states where a building occupies separately from other buildings, a location on a single parcel of land, the building shall for the purposes of liability to tax under this Act, be deemed to be land.

“My question is, if you have a dog house on your premises, if you have a duck pond, as I do. If you have fowl coop. A tool shed and for those who have swimming pools, I do not have one. If you have little cabanas…change places and so on. Will each of those items be taxed based on this 3A now?” she queried.

Finance Minister Colm Imbert clarified, however, that each of those values will not be taxed separately, but will be considered in the overall rental of the property.

“When you get your valuation is the valuation of your property. So you have a piece of land on which there are separate buildings. So you would be liable to pay tax on the entire property. But each building would be valued separately. Is not that each building would attract a value of $18,000,” Imbert explained.

“It’s not that you have a fowl coop here, a duck pond there, a dog kennel there, a cabana there, a gazebo over so and each one would be $18,000. No!”

He said the value of each one would be determined separately and when added together, “if it is less than $18,000 it would be set at $18,000. It’s not that each one will attract a value of $18,000.”

In the bill, $18,000 is the minimum rental value of a property which attracts a monthly tax of about $40 a month.

This would mean that any home owner whose property attracts a rental value of less than $18,000 will be rounded off to the minimum ceiling of $18,000.

But Persad-Bissessar felt the inclusion of these separate structures could affect the most vulnerable, while she pointed out that a lot of people owned dog kennels and animal pens around their residential land.

“Everybody…regardless what it is on your property you are going to be valued as $18,000? So just a concern. You have cleared it, I would have to pay tax for the dog house. That is basically what it is.”

Imbert again clarified by saying that raw land has a value.

“On this raw land you would have structures. So the value of the property is the value of the raw land plus the value of the structures. So even the examples given by the Opposition Leader…even though these items may not have significant value this works out to $40 a month. So it is the value of the raw land plus the value of all the structures on the land.”

After a valuation is done, Imbert said, if the land plus the structure come up to less than $18,000, an $18,000 valuation will be put on the property.

If someone is faced with financial constraints and unable to pay the $40 a month, then the law would kick in, where they can apply for a tax exemption.

A $50,000 fine will be slapped on anyone within the Finance Ministry’s Valuation Division system who “leaks” or shares any information received from valuation exercises and fails to keep it confidential.

This amendment was added to the Valuation of Land (amendment) bill (VOL) in Parliament yesterday. Amendments to this bill and the Property Tax bill were approved in the Lower House after clauses were passed in the Upper House recently.

Under a new clause the Commissioner of Valuations/or any person duly authorised by him to receive information under the VOL Act must keep the information confidential and shall not share it unless authorised by law. Those contravening this will suffer a $50,000 fine.

Concerns have been rising among homeowners after Valuation Division assessors recently began field work in some North and South areas. The Finance Ministry, last Sunday, in a brief statement, confirmed the ministry was “preparing to populate the valuation rolls.”

In Parliament yesterday, Imbert slammed a weekend report on the matter as “completely inaccurate and wrong!”

Explaining the confidentiality clause, he said, “There was an article in the newspaper over the weekend, it’s a little unprofessional. It was based on posting by social media and Facebook by anonymous posters and (the article) took these postings as fact and found its way into news. Which apparently is the trend nowadays—that positions on social media are then represented in the mainstream media as fact.”

“It’s an unfortunate development with social media. People will just go on social media with some anonymous profile. The things in the (article) was about people trying to access personal information from property owners and this amendment deals with breach of confidentiality.”

“So if someone in the valuation system discloses personal information, we’re now creating an offence regarding disclosure of personal information. This story in the papers about people calling up people in their homes, wanting to inspect their property and get personal information...it was very disappointing that the story was based on Facebook postings from some anonymous poster, a fake profile,” Opposition Leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar asked how, since amendments to the VOL and Property Tax Bills were not yet in force, there had been the ministry’s notice about starting the valuation exercise. She asked if the Government was using the previous law.

Imbert said the Government was using the existing law regarding which a court decision allowed certain action. Once amendments were approved, he added, the Government would be “able to do more.”

Another amendment to the VOL Bill allows the Valuation Tribunal—which will hear complaints— to extend the time prescribed to give notice of appeal. The initial period was 30 days. Imbert said it allows aggrieved people longer time for appeals.

The Pesticides and Chemicals Board, chaired by the Chief Medical Officer, is currently considering the banning of importation and distribution of Gramoxone, Agriculture Minister Clarence Rambharat has revealed.

He did so in Parliament yesterday, replying to questions from UNC MP Vidya Guyadeen-Gopeesingh.

Rambharat said herbicide paraquat is commonly referred to as Gramoxone. The latter is one of 16 brand-name herbicides sold locally with paraquat as the active ingredient. Trade names include Sunquat, Raze, Gramoxone, Super, Wopro Super and Weedless.

He said paraquat is used in agriculture to control a wide range of broad-leaved weeds, grasses and as a defoliant.

“At the same time paraquat is reportedly used in over 40 per cent of suicides in T&T,” Rambharat noted.

“For this reason, among others, the local Pesticides and Toxic Chemicals Act and Regulations include an additional requirement—in line with international standards.

“In addition, premises licensed by the Board for the sale of paraquat must keep a register of sales and purchases including the basic information on the purchaser. As a Class 1 pesticide, paraquat must be displayed in a secured place only, to which the public has no free access.”

Rambharat said the banning of the importation and distribution of Gramoxone is primarily a matter for the Pesticides and Toxic Chemicals, “....which has the responsibility to deal with all matters relating to the importation, registration and licensing of pesticides and toxic chemicals like Gramoxone and the cancellation of such registrations and licenses in circumstances where the Board deems it fit to do so.”

“I’m advised that this matter is currently being considered by the Board,” Rambharat added.

He was grilled by Guyadeen-Gopeesingh and UNC MP Dr Tim Gopeesingh on whether the ministry would advise that the pesticide to be banned. Rambharat repeated several times that a decision on the matter rests with the Pesticides and Chemicals Board.

Wendell Mottley has resigned as chairman of Government’s Energy Task Force, saying he can no longer lead in negotiations for both the Sandals project and the renegotiation of new LNG contracts with the multinational oil and gas companies.

Mottley confirmed to the T&T Guardian that he has quit and said while he is prepared to help where he can, he was no longer able to commit himself to helping the Government on a daily basis.

He said, “I’m out! I will be prepared to help where I can but I am not prepared to be bog downed in this kind of way. One thing Athletics teaches you very early on in life is that we all have a shelf life.”

Mottley’s departure will be a big loss for the Rowley administration as he was Head of the Government’s Natural Gas Task Force, part of its high level team to renegotiate LNG contracts with the multi-national companies and also served as an adviser to the Minister of Energy Frankly Khan.

Mottley was also a key part of the Government’s team which is in negotiation with the construction of a 700 room Sandals and Beaches property in Tobago.

Asked why he decided to go at this time, Mottley said it was about his age. “The reason is frankly July 2, 1941.” This is the date of his birth which means in just over a month Mottley will be 77 years old.

However, multiple sources told the T&T Guardian that he was frustrated with the pace of things at the Ministry of Energy but the former finance minister said his leaving had nothing to do with that.

“There are some very bright young people there and the ministry has been reorganised. I think the staffing is coming up to par again.” Mottley said in an interview yesterday afternoon.

Mottley is considered one of the country’s most successful Finance Ministers and was responsible for several key decisions including the floating of the TT dollar, the merger of the banks to form First Citizens and was a part of the Cabinet that brought a consortium together to build Atlantic LNG.

Asked what he considered his greatest achievement in public life Motley said, “The management of those difficult times in the 1990s where Trinidad was coming out of a deep recession. Selby Wilson and the NAR did a good job, we picked up the baton seamlessly and did what was necessary for Trinidad and Tobago in that first Manning administration.”

He was, however, reluctant to talk about Finance Minister Colm Imbert’s handling of the economy and was more prepared to talk about Barbados economic challenges.

“I see my relative Mia Mottley in Barbados, I was there on the night of the election, and they have an even deeper hole to dig out, but I am very impressed with Barbadian resoluteness. I am very optimistic that they have bottomed out and will start to climb back out,” Mottley said.

Asked if he would be giving Barbados Prime Minister advice Mottley responded, “That may be presumptuous on my part, she is well advised.”

Asked if she had enlisted his help, the former finance minister said, “I have known Mia donkey’s years and I …I don’t want to get into that.”

The former finance minister said he planned to continue reading and will stay in touch with public affairs. “I do plan to travel a lot,” he said.

Mottley is a former double Olympic medallist who has an undergraduate degree from Yale University and a Masters in Economics from Cambridge University.

When two men came banging on their front door in the dead of night shouting “Police”, Melissa Carrington didn’t realise it was the sound of death calling for her common-law husband Son de Gale.

De Gale, 28, a scrap iron dealer, was shot dead by gunmen who invaded his Lady Hailes Avenue, San Fernando home around midnight yesterday.

According to police, the couple was awakened by someone banging on their front door. When Carrington, 21, opened the door, she was confronted by two gunmen who barged inside. As de Gale sprung from the bed, he was shot several times. He fell off the bed and died within minutes. The gunmen ran, leaving Carrington unharmed.

ASP John and officers from the San Fernando CID and Homicide Bureau of Investigations, Region Three, responded and combed the area for the suspects, who up to yesterday were not found. DMO Dr Rajkumar examined the body and ordered it removed for an autopsy at the Forensic Science Centre.

Investigators said de Gale was originally from Valencia and came to live with Carrington a year ago. So far, the police have no additional information on him. Investigators believe that a hit was executed on de Gale.

It was rumoured that he was hiding out in South Trinidad.

Three regional chairmen of Pan Trinbago yesterday called for the resignation of its central executive and president Keith Diaz, stating that the pan organisation needs to be properly restructured for it to go forward.

The call was made by Tobago’s regional chairman Marie Toby, Gerard Mendez, of the Northern Region and Carlon Harewood, of the eastern region at the Newtown Playboyz Steel Symphony, Port-of-Spain, at a press conference.

The trio are also demanding that fresh elections be held to select a new slate for the pan body, since they claim the executive has been holding illegal meetings and spending Pan Trinbago’s funds to line the pockets of hot shot lawyers.

The executive comprises Richard Forteau, Andrew Salvador, Michael Joseph, Darren Sheppard, Allan Augustus and Trevor Reid.

However, Diaz who was present at the press conference, but remained in the background, said he would not be around for Panorama 2019, while Forteau said no one would force him out.

Pan Trinbago’s election is due between September and October of this year.

Toby said Pan Trinbago was not properly managed, as there was no financial rules.

She said at Pan Trinbago’s last annual general meeting, the pan body was faced with a $30 million debt, insisting that they had no idea how to settle this outstanding arrears.

Toby said every time its chairmen go to the bank to conduct financial transactions, they are faced with embarrassment.

“These people (executive) are only representing themselves.”

Recently, she was notified that Pan Tobago’s office had received an eviction notice because their rent had not been paid, stating that she had to hammer out new negotiations with the landlord to remain as a tenant.

In addition to this, she said staff members are owed two months salaries.

“If Pan Trinbago give you a cheque you have to run like a spranger to change it. These are the people we want in office to continue our business? Well, we as chairmen we are saying no! Mr Diaz has to go too.

These guys (executives) they are holding on for their supper. We are saying they have to go.”

Toby said some steelband leaders are facing legal letters by providers for non-payments.

If the executive and Diaz refuse to step down, Toby said, they would call on its members “to let us go back to 1979. No Panorama. We have to band we belly because these fellas have no intention of moving on.”

Toby said Pan Trinbago’s constitution needs to burn since it only protected the executive and not the membership.

As the youngest chairman, Harewood said he was saddened by Pan Trinbago’s state of affairs, as he called on Minister of Culture Dr Nyan Gadsby-Dolly to step in and release the Ernst and Young audit report on Pan Trinbago for the benefit of its pan players.

“Please minister, let us fix this once and for all,” Harewood pleaded.

Mendez advised Gadsby-Dolly not to give any money to Pan Trinbago but to the National Carnival Commission to pay steelbands players who are owed prize monies for Panorama 2018.

“We also understand that there is a dark cloud hanging over the head of Pan Trinbago’s head office. In a matter of days it may be shut down for the lack of payment of rent. It will be foreclosed on,” Mendez said.

A convicted fraudster from Tobago was found murdered in Arima on Monday night.

According to reports, around 10 am residents of “The Congo”, a community which borders the Cleaver Woods Recreation Park in D’abadie, reported finding the body of a man in a bushy area.

When Homicide detectives arrived on the scene they discovered the victim had a gunshot wound to his head. He was later identified as 32-year-old Kern Romero. Investigators believe Romero was killed at another location and dumped there based on the quantity of blood found on and around the body.

Romero’s body was taken to the Forensic Science Centre, St James, where an autopsy will be performed once he is officially identified by relatives on Friday.

Romero’s friends and relatives took to their social media accounts yesterday to express shock over the news and to send condolences to his family.

“Today we awakened to the sad news of the passing of our dear member, friend and former Mr Airport, Kern Romero. Our condolences go out to all those whose lives he has touched with his remarkable spirit. RIP King Kern. Your memory lives on through all of us,” the Tobago Airports Authority Sports and Cultural Club said in a post on its Facebook page yesterday.

Romero is a former customer service representative with Caribbean Airlines Limited (CAL). His murder pushed the murder toll for the year to 228. There were 215 murders during the same period, last year.

In December 2015, Romero was charged with defrauding a male hairdresser and his aunt of $8,500. The money was an inducement to assist in obtaining Housing Development Corporation (HDC) houses. Romero pleaded guilty to the charges and was fined.

Romero and another convicted fraudster, Dillian Johnson, were named in a series of newspaper investigative reports surrounding allegations of misbehaviour in public office by Chief Justice Ivor Archie last year. In December last year, Johnson was wounded in a shooting at his home in central Trinidad. He has since fled to the United Kingdom, where is seeking asylum.

Investigations are continuing.

Southern police are now investigating two separate attacks by bandits who “dressed up” to commit their brazen acts in broad daylight within a three-hour span in the division on Monday.

In the first incident, Rio Claro police now have a 24-year-old Gasparillo man who was accused of impersonating a police officer while robbing a feed depot.

Police said around 9.30 am, three men dressed in clothing resembling police uniforms arrived in a black Hyundai Tucson SUV at the depot along San Pedro Road, Rio Claro. They called the owner, Pooran Ramoutar, to the gate and him if they could access his CCTV footage for use in a stolen vehicle matter they were investigating.

Ramoutar, 43, said believing the men to be police he invited them inside. But once inside, Ramoutar was accosted by the bandits who soon tied him up and began ransacking the place for cash and valuables as they also waited on his brother Indar to arrive. When Indar arrived he too was accosted, beaten and tied up. The bandits waved guns in the men faces during the incident, threatening to shoot them as they asked for cash.

Pooran was robbed of $1,900 and a cell phone and his brother of $900. The suspects then disconnected the CCTV system before escaping in the SUV.

Rio Claro CID responded and one of the suspects was held in the Rio Claro district. He remained in custody up to yesterday and is assisting with an investigation. The SUV was later found abandoned.

PC Rakesh Abraham is continuing inquiries as police search for the other suspects.

The brothers told CNC3 this was the seventh time they had been robbed. Following the previous six incidents, they admitted they had barricaded themselves in their business by constructing a 25-foot wall with two levels of barbed wire on top. They also invested heavily in CCTV equipment and said they believe they had exhausted all the options to protect themselves and their business.

Pooran said the spate of robberies were traumatic but he is willing to continue his business. He called on the Police Commissioner to speed up the access to firearm licenses for business owners.

Meanwhile, Tabaquite MP Dr Surujrattan Rambachan says he was disturbed to learn that Gasparillo police did not have any vehicles to respond swiftly to Monday’s jewel store robbery at the Gasparillo Mall by suspects wearing Muslim garb and a coverall.

In a media release yesterday, Rambachan said acting Commissioner of Police Stephen Williams was unsuited for the job, as he does not appear to have an operational style to deal with the current upsurge in crime. He also said Minister of National Security Edmund Dillon appeared to be disinterested and continues spouting “theoretical nonsense in the face of the criminal assault”.

However, Snr Supt of the Southern Division, Zamsheed Mohammed, said Gasparillo police got their first report of the robbery by telephone at 11.58 am. Immediately, he said Sgt Maharaj and a team of officers responded and were supported by San Fernando CID and Marabella police.

A report stated that around 11.45 pm Monday, sales clerk Cheryl Lookoor, 29, was on duty at Precious Gold Designs when two men entered. One wore a black abaya and multi-coloured hijab while the other wore a green coverall with a Trinweld logo, a cap, shades and Jansport knapsack. The suspect in the Muslim garb pulled out a gun from under his hijab, pointed it at Lookoor and told her, “Hear what going on, just throw them thing in this bag real fast.”

Afraid for her life, Lookoor began to fill the bag. Customers and other store employees were unaware of what was going on until the suspect in the coverall pulled out a wrench and began to smash the showcases and loot the jewellery trays. It was at that time that everyone else was made aware of the robbery and fled for their safety. As the suspects left, they fired a few shots at the showcases. By the time police arrived the suspects were already gone.

Investigators said they are working with credible information that may lead to the arrests of the two suspects. The store remained closed yesterday.

Rambachan yesterday also called for more police foot patrols in the business district of Gasparillo. Describing the robbery as a “brazen attack”, he said it was similar to the robbery at RT Jewellers in San Fernando on March 13, in which bandits also brazenly walked into the business, smashed showcases and grabbed everything they could take. While he was thankful no one was injured, Rambachan said the assault by fearless criminals on the hard working business community was too much to stomach.

“The time for excuses is finished. Citizens are fed up and frustrated. Lives continue to be in danger and the authorities and Government are mere spectators to the plight of the citizenry,” Rambachan said.

The all too familiar scene of a mother screaming at the sight of undertakers removing her son’s body took the spotlight in Gasparillo yesterday, after 20-year-old Brandon Samaroo was gunned down.

Debbie Roopchand begged the police to let her touch her only son as they removed his body from a shed along Union Road where he sold watermelon to make a living. After being denied that small comfort, she fell to the ground screaming in anguish at his shortened life.

Roopchan and her 10-year-old daughter were inconsolable and had to be held back by relatives and friends who showed up in their numbers.

Reports stated that Samaroo, who lived at Tarouba, was in the shed at the front of the Country Tavern waiting for sales when a gunman ran up and shot him in the head and chest. When patrons of the tavern looked out, they saw the gunman running into a white Toyota Corolla Axio that was parked across the road and escape. By the time witnesses checked on Samaroo he was already dead.

Southern Division police led by ASP Ali Mohammed, Insp Gajadhar, Insp Ramkhelewan and Sgt Williams responded and coordinated searches for the suspects but up to yesterday, they had not been found. Robbery was not suspected as the motive as it seemed nothing was stolen. Investigators are working with the theory that someone ordered a hit on Samaroo’s life.

There were rumours at the scene that Samaroo had been threatened because of a business a close relative owns. Neighbours said a car similar to the one used by his killers was also seen in their community on Monday afternoon and suspect his killers were marking his movements, waiting for the right time to pounce. But Samaroo’s father, Bobby Samaroo, said he couldn’t say what led to his son’s murder.

“I was lying down when my sister-in-law came and woke me up. She said ‘Aye! They just shoot Brandon.’ I asked a friend to bring me up the road because I had no transport. Everybody was here already and he was already dead,” he told the T&T Guardian.

Bobby said one of his son’s friends told him that seconds before the murder he (friend) met with Samaroo as he was walking into the tavern and asked if he wanted something to drink. Samaroo told him he didn’t want anything as he had just got doubles. As the friend went inside the tavern he heard the two gunshots.

The family had been selling watermelon on the spot for close to 12 years, but with tragedy changing their lives, they’re unsure whether they would return.