The Chaguanas Chamber of Industry and Commerce is welcoming the move by the Government to locate the Ministry of Agriculture in Chaguanas and hopes that more ministries will be relocated to central and south Trinidad.
The move was disclosed in a radio interview by Prime Minister Dr keith Rowley on Wednesday.
Rowley said the Chaguanas building earmarked by the previous People’s Partnership administration for use by the Ministry of Tertiary Education and Skills Training will now house the Ministry of Agriculture, Land and Fisheries.
The Chamber stated that for years, it has been lobbying for greater diversification of the country’s economy, particularly in the area of agriculture.
The Chamber said that it is looking forward to working with the new Agriculture Minister, Clarence Rambharat to help develop the industry, “particularly at a time when we will be facing many economic challenges brought on by the decline in oil and gas prices”, said the Chamber.
The Chamber said that Chaguanas is “a prime area for agricultural development and the presence of the Ministry of Agriculture in this area must be seen as a positive development for the entire country”.
The Chamber congratulated former Minister Fazal Karim for the work done to Chaguanas with the construction of the NESC headquarters, the COSTAATT campus and the OJT headquarters.
The Chamber said that the trend to decentralise ministries began with the People’s Partnership Government and hopes that this trend will continue with this new administration.
“The move to Chaguanas is also part of a trend in decentralization that was begun under the previous administration. That trend has seen the movement of a number of state agencies out of the capital city and into various others parts of the country, not just in Central, but in the South and East of the country. While this trend has not been viewed positively by some groups, we are of the firm view that all Governments must undertake to decentralize state agencies if they want to see an improvement in productivity in the country”, said that Chamber.
The Chamber also asked that the Government consider relocating other ministries to Chaguanas for further development and growth of the area.
“We hope that, given the massive dimensions of the new Ministry of Agriculture building, the new Government will give some consideration to moving other state agencies to the building, thus creating a campus for Government facilities that are otherwise far flung and often difficult to access. We certainly would like to see the Passport Office relocated to an area that is accessible to everyone and with the adequate parking facilities so lacking in the current offices”, said that Chamber.
The Chamber said the relevant authorities should take note of the traffic issues faced in the Borough and for there to be solutions to the issue.
It stated, “We also hope that prior to opening the new Ministry’s offices, the Government and the relevant authorities will visit the area to take note of the traffic problems faced at the four-way junction that intersects where the Ministry has been set up. Since the junction is already creating traffic problems, the opening of any new offices will only create greater back-up of traffic turning off the highway into Chaguanas. In the interest of acting proactively, we would strongly recommend that the issue be addressed earlier rather than later”.
The Chamber is also hopeful that the new Motor Vehicle Authority (Licensing Authority) building constructed in Caroni will soon be put to use.
According to the Chamber, this MVA will greatly reduce some of the traffic created by the presence of the Licensing Office on Wrightson Road and make life easier for many citizens.
Taken from Trinidad Express
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