Inshan: Bamboo guard booth stays
■ Alexander Bruzual
alexander.bruzual @trinidadexpress.com
THE guard booth set up by residents of Bamboo #2, Valsayn, remains for now.
Speaking with the Express on Sunday, activist/ businessman Inshan Ishmael said that the booth remains despite warnings by State officials that it needed to be demolished by Wednesday.
Once again arguing the necessity of the structure, he said: 'Over the last four months, especially, there have been several home invasions, robberies, reports of praedial larceny, extortion attempts, you name it. One such incident took place last week, with a family that was beaten. Another such report involves the Imam. So, after we realised the numbers were increasing, we came together, and the village met with the councillor and an agreement was made to put things in place to get the guard booth. We sought out the information for the process and were told that once a certain number of the community agreed it could be put up. So, this is what we did.'
However, he alluded to persons in authority who had been recently 'exposed' by Ishmael on money being squandered in various State projects, for interjecting and possibly wanting to prevent the structure from going up.
Ishmael said that over 99 per cent of residents met four months ago amid ongoing safety concerns, and decided on the booth as there was only one way in and out of the community.
'So, therefore, the only solution is a guard booth because in none of the extortion attempts was anyone held so, therefore, we don't want it to reach to the stage where there has been extortion number 15 and still nothing was done,' he said. 'So we all agreed that we need to do something and it was agreed that our guard booth will be installed at the entrance of Bamboo #2.'
He claimed that the booth was approved by the area's village council and residents also spoke to officials at the Tunapuna/ Piarco Regional Corporation and they were told that once 60 per cent of the village agreed there would be no objection to the plan.
He showed a petition which he claimed represented 96 per cent of the community and its businesses.
However, last week, representatives from the Ministry of Works showed up and told residents that, from their information, a vending booth was being constructed. The officials then erected a No Vending sign near to the booth site.
On that day, Ishmael said that shortly after, he got a call from one of his managers who told him that the Works Ministry advised him that the structure, while not intended for vending, was an illegal one and that beginning Wednesday they had seven days to remove it.
Ishmael said he had already contacted his at-torney and was exploring his legal options.
He said that the police and the Works Ministry should be thanking the residents for their anti-crime initiative.
He also questioned that while other communities had erected guard booths and even security barriers, Bamboo residents were not being allowed to do the same.
MAKING A POINT: Businessman Inshan Ishmael speaks with a Daniel Construction Ltd workman as they began construction on a guard booth at Bamboo #2 on Wednesday. -Photo: JERMAINE CRUICKSHANK
