PM: Law coming to mandate ‘home clean-up’

Radhica Sookraj
Published: 29 Jun 2010

Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar says Government is moving to create new legislation to mandate all citizens to clean in front of their homes.

Should they fail to do so, the state will clean the bushy lot and then bill the homeowner. Speaking at the commencement ceremony of road works at Scotts Road, Penal, yesterday, Persad-Bissessar urged all citizens to keep their homes clean. She vowed to give communities all her support and to ensure there was an equitable distribution of resources in rural and urban areas. Persad-Bissessar said much of T&T’s flooding was caused by littering and clogged water courses. She said in developed countries, citizens took pride in keeping the front of their homes clean. “You have to cut the bushes and keep the drains clean. If you can keep that 50 feet in front of your home clean and your neighbour could do the same thing, our communities and our nation will be a cleaner place and what a great nation this will be,” Persad-Bissessar said. She explained that Government would be able to use its resources in a more proactive manner for bigger projects.

The Prime Minister added that when people failed to clean their own drains and clear their rubbish, the delivery of services tended to be slower. Meanwhile, Director of Programme for Upgrading Road Efficiency (PURE) Hayden Phillip said the road works at Scotts Road would be done in three phases. He said phase one would be completed within a six-week period. Among the roads that will be paved are Mendez Trace, Scotts Road, Kay Trace, Penal Quinam Road and Macaquel Trace. Works Minister Jack Warner said that phase one would cost Government approximately $14.6 million. He said the funding came from the Ministry of Works. “I have a creative permanent secretary and we had some savings in the ministry so we did not have to go to Cabinet for monies,” he added. He explained that Scotts Road, which is famous for agriculture, could expect a boost in farming because of the opening up of the road network. He added that the opening of the roads would bring about a resurgence in the planting of orchard crops and other exotic plants. Following the function, Persad-Bissessar tried her hand at driving a steamroller. She was closely supervised by a driver. However, at one point, the steamroller lunged forward, giving her and Warner a scare. No one was hurt as the supervisor quickly brought the situation under control. Source: http://guardian.co.tt/news/politics/2010/06/29/pm-law-coming-mandate-home-clean