KEVON FELMINE
Works and Transport Minister Rohan Sinanan says he has been concerned about the operations of the Port Authority of T&T (Patt) since he became a minister.
The Joint Select Committee's (JSC) investigation into the procurement of the Cabo Star and the Ocean Flower 2 raises serious questions about the conduct of the Patt,.
Sinanan said while he could not comment on the JSC until the probe was complete, he was interested in the outcome as both line minister and citizen and added that he does not expect the outcome to be pleasing.
"I am really looking forward to the results because I think coming out of this JSC, it will tell us exactly what problems we have at the Port of Port-of-Spain that have been there for quite a while. It is time that we do something about it. I have been concerned since one week after I became minister. I raised that the port was in a mess and the problems that we are experiencing now were inevitable," Sinanan said.
Last week, Energy Minister and JSC member Franklin Khan said based on the information being shared in the probe, there was no discipline and no governance at Patt.
Asked whether there would be any management changes if they were found wanting, Sinanan said, "As the minister that is way out of my league. There is a board in place and I expect that when the report comes in, the board will look at it and the board will make the decisions to take the port from where it is to where a port should be."
Asked what would happen if the problem was at the board level, he said he will wait for the report before making any statement.