Although Rousillac residents yesterday said their protests over poor roads had nothing to do with politics, an unapologetic Works and Transport Minister Rohan Sinanan yesterday deemed the action to be politically motivated.
However, he said the road was already scheduled for repairs later this week and next week. He said because of the unstable soil there is constant movement along Grant Road and its tributaries. What makes it worse, he said, was the burning of debris, as it damages the road surfaces and results in the ministry having to spend more on repairs.
“That road was repaired several times but there is a problem with earth movement, so constant maintenance has to take place. According to our programme, the road was scheduled for repairs later this week and next week. It will not last 10 years because of the constant movement, the type of soil and the pull from the pitch lake,” Sinanan said.
“A lot of these protests are politically motivated, but we are doing what we are supposed to do. It’s an ongoing process and the ministry will do what we need to do when funds are made available.”
In the long term, Sinanan said the completion of the highway will reroute the heavy traffic from the community, resulting in the road lasting longer. He said that section of the highway should resume by the end of the year.
La Brea MP Nicole Olivierre also echoed Sinanan’s sentiments of a politically motivated protest, as she said the residents never engaged her on the road conditions. She said while she is aware of the situation of bad roads in the constituency, she does not respond to protest.
She said the road was paved twice under the UNC government following the construction of the highway that ended at Rousillac, but within a short period the road gave away. She said if the UNC’s plan was to increase traffic on the road they should have upgraded the pavement.
“I don’t respond to protests and these residents never engaged me on the matter. They could have called or come to my office. I sent a message to them, informing that they can meet me at my office from 10 am. The action is not proportionate to the complaint they have and they did not come and engage me. It also seems that a tyre shop has supported them because they have an unlimited supply to burn and that should be looked at.”