As a second board of the Urban Development Corporation of T&T Limited (Udecott) was installed yesterday Minister of Housing and the Environment Dr Roodal Moonilal said the organisation was "no longer the centre of controversy and bacchanal."It was subject to the Uff commission of enquiry which tabled 91 recommendations.Top priority for Udecott's new board was the controversial Brian Lara Cricket Stadium, Tarouba, Moonilal said during yesterday's brief ceremony.
"We have received a report recently and it was an assessment of the stadium and it is before the Cabinet at this time and I cannot speak of that in detail but the Cabinet is now considering professional advice on that project."We have other projects which are outstanding which would require some professional input and then some strong Cabinet decisions to be made," Moonilal added.
Three of Udecott's former board members were reinstated. They were chairman Jearlean John, also managing director of the Housing Development Corporation (HDC), Glenn Parmassar, forensic expert, and Shankar Bidaisee, one of Udecott's directors who is also an attorney.Among the seven newly-installed directors was Rennie Mohammed, brother of Sasha Mohammed, former adviser to Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar.
Sasha resigned from her post two years ago after it was reported she sent threatening e-mails to Express editor-in-chief Omatie Lyder and reporter Anna Ramdass.Asked what was Rennie's specific job description Moonilal said he believed Rennie was in "communications."On Udecott's transformation Moonilal said: "We have brought calmness to the management. We have brought some measure of transparency and incorporated a governance model that allows us to manage in real time."
Paying tribute to John, Moonilal said she was responsible for "stabilising the ship" over the last few years and ensuring the company did not make "some of the grave mistakes" of the past.Udecott was now not only managed by a line ministry but also sub-committees of Cabinet and it regularily accounted for its work to the Finance and General Purpose Committee of Cabinet, he added.
"Even permission to travel must be granted by the line minister. It is not a free-for- all where persons can do anything they want."Giving advice to the new board, Moonilal said they must maintain a level of "management and political control" to ensure there was transparency, responsibility and accountability at all times.
Udecott's new board:
�2 Chairman Jearlean John
�2 Deputy chairman Glenn Parmassar
�2 Director Shankar Bidaisee
�2 Director Stephen Pilgrim
�2 Director Anil Bridglal
�2 Director Marlon Morris
�2 Director Prem Samodee
�2 Director Rennie Mohammed
�2 Director Aijegoro Ome