There is no investigation into the Mayor’s Fund or any financial irregularities withing the corporation.
So said, San Fernando Mayor Robert Parris.
During a United National Congress (UNC) media briefing yesterday, Ameen called for a probe of the San Fernando City Corporation (SFCC) for other financial irregularities following the news.
She said: “The PNM is in charge now, and the PNM was in charge before. We raised questions about where San Fernando corporation was getting money just before the local government elections and in the lead up to the last general election to do a lot of road paving contracts while the other corporations were getting no money, and now the questions must be answered.”
Ameen said that as the San Fernando West MP, Faris Al-Rawi should pay attention to the SFCC, saying the UNC wanted to know where the money went.
However, Parris said Ameen could investigate as much as she wanted.
“Everything is above board in terms of expenditure at the San Fernando City Corporation, and we are following the correct practices by applying to the Ministry of Finance for releases for expenditure. She would be happy to know the funds were released earlier today, and the accountant is doing everything to ensure everything is above board,” Parris said.
As the UNC’s shadow minister for local government, Ameen also said escalating crime interrupted garbage collection, construction work, waterway cleaning and vector control as workers increased calls for security at work sites.
“More and more, we find workers requesting security, requesting municipal police or TTPS to accompany them to collect garbage, to do construction in communities. Our regional corporations have been working with those challenges. When a community has garbage collection interrupted, there is a pile-up of garbage, a public health hazard, and people can get sick.”
She said the government promised 100 additional municipal police officers for each regional corporation. She questioned where those officers were, saying it demonstrated the failure of Minister of National Security Fitzgerald Hinds to reduce crime.
Couva/Tabaquite/Talparo Regional Corporation Ryan Rampersad said the water supply was so poor in Tamana that one resident had to forfeit going to church to save money to purchase water. Rampersad said that some people living in La Horquetta/Talparo also suffer for water, although the constituency has one of the largest reservoirs.