There are no plans yet to scrap any of the government projects which started under the previous administration.
However, according to the newly appointed Minister of Works and Transport, Fitzgerald Hinds, any further work will be done in a more efficient and effective manner.
Speaking at the celebration hosted by the University of Trinidad and Tobago (UTT) on the occasion of World Maritime Day, yesterday, at the Chaguaramas campus, Hinds said he was still settling into his new post.
He said, “I am at the stage where I am getting familiar with the issues around my very expansive portfolio.”
Hinds met with more than 60 heads of departments at his ministry on Monday, as he was briefed on the status of various state projects.
Hinds also has a number of statutory bodies which fall under his portfolio.
Pressed to say what was next for him and if he was considering halting work on any state projects, he replied, “We are preparing for the budget. Thereafter, we will be able to match what we have with what is allocated to us.”
Pre-empting questions relating to the controversial Point Fortin Highway, Hinds added, “We have said in our manifesto that there are a number of major projects we intend to undertake, including completing the Point Fortin Highway and we will do just that.
“Nothing new, nothing strange. We will continue on the path of development for T&T,” he added.
Hinds sought to reassure the public, “What we promise is that we are going to do it far more efficiently, and to ensure you, the citizens, get value for money. That's the key thing.”
Meanwhile, Hinds has promised the UTT management that he will be moving swiftly to amend the antiquated shipping legislation which currently governs maritime operations.
Addressing the large crowd, Hinds said, “I have given my commitment to you, to ensure that swift action is taken in respect of modernising this legislation.”
Revealing that the Shipping Bill 2015 was currently before the Parliament, he said stakeholder consultation was necessary,
However, he vowed, “Unless I discover some major obstruction or obstacle, this will be on the national legislative agenda in very short order.”
Touching briefly on the issue of certification for UTT students, whose respective skills will be certified by a parent body in England only up to 2017, Hinds said his ministry would also address this problem in quick time.
The UTT is the only university in the southern Caribbean which offers maritime studies.
Acknowledging the importance of the shipping industry in terms of national security, commerce and trade, entertainment and even sport, Hinds promised he would make every effort to improve the current systems.