The Sport Company of T&T is only doing work in constituencies belonging to PNM Government Ministers and not in areas of PNM backbenchers, UNC MP Harry Partap said yesterday, noting public complaints by one PNM backbench MP. Partap made the point during yesterday’s Lower House debate on a Land Acquisition Bill. Partap said recreation grounds in many areas, for instance, were not being attended to or developed. He said regional corporations were being starved for funding while the Sports Company of T&T was being given the job to develop recreation grounds and similar facilities. However, Partap said the SCTT was only developing grounds in areas belonging to PNM Government Ministers and not PNM backbench MPs.

Members on the two PNM Government benches cried “No,” while there was silence from the three PNM backbench MPs, who do not sit in Cabinet and who are on the backbench behind the Opposition. Those were PNM MPs Indra Sinanan-Ojah Maharaj, Anthony Roberts and Keith Rowley. Responding to the PNM’s denials, Partap added: “This is not coming from us. This is coming from one of your own.” He then proceeded to describe a newspaper article, which he said was by Ria Taitt, in which PNM backbench MP Anthony Roberts was quoted as complaining about the Sport Company’s tardiness in developing facilities, including a stadium in his constituency. “So it didn’t come from us, it came from your own side,” Partap told the PNM Government benches. Partap said over 140 land-owners in Trinidad were still awaiting compensation.

He said he also was advised that over 140 owners were also in the same position in Tobago alone. He said that was very unfair to land-owners since Government was aware it had an obligation to pay and it was also contrary to the spirit of the Land Acquisition Act. Partap called on Government to stop land company officials from intimidating farmers to scare them off land. He related a situation which had occurred with a 70-year-old Plum Mitan farmer who was told by URP officials he had to relocate from the land he had farmed for 16 years since a fire station was being built on it. Partap said subsequent checks proved this claim false.