PNM.org.tt - Recent Achievements in the News - Government Builds Bridges in South

FIVE bridges costing $1.096 million were officially declared open in Bonne Aventure Village, Gasparillo, on Wednesday.

Completed in nine months, Local Government Minister, Rennie Dumas hailed the project as recording-breaking.

Building five bridges in such a period, he said, was a joint venture between the Ministry of Local Government, the Couva/Tabaquite/ Talparo Regional Corporation (CTTRC) and the Ministry of Agriculture, in conjunction with the Sugar Industry Team, (SIT).

The five bridges average 30 feet long and 22 feet wide and were built in the agricultural communities of Lightbourne Trace, Houssa Trace, Bonne Aventure and in Gasparillo.

Speaking at the opening, Dumas said that the bridges’ construction envisages a new dimension to co-operation between Government Ministries and subsidary organisations.

Addressing villagers, Dumas said that the quality of food, coupled with reasonable prices and infrastructural development, is a critical ingredient for national development.

“Local production must be used to satisfy local usage since food security is a critical function in national development,” the minister said.

Dumas, however, warned that while his Local Government ministry would support continued development of the agricultural sector, lands identified for agriculture must not be used for housing after access roads are built. Dumas, who had earlier in the programme witnessed a ten-minute DVD presentation highlighting the deplorable road conditions in Bonne Aventure, called on Regional and City Corporations to not shirk their responsibilities in maintaining roads and bridges.