Little is being done to address the problems of vagrancy and unsanitary food vending in Chaguanas says Councillor Gopaul Boodhan.
The disgruntled local government representative for Montrose said his pleas to Mayor Natasha Navas have fallen on deaf ears. Boodhan noted that on a tour of the borough recently, he identified 42 vagrants who were asleep under the flyover. He said the vagrants were also in areas near the market and at Renaissance Park creating an unsightly mess and contributing to the foul stench.
Boodhan said he considered this to be unacceptable and not in keeping with the standards of a town vying for city status. Boodhan said he was calling on both the chairman of the Health committee Falisha Isahak and the chairman of the City Status Committee Ramesh Ramdhan to announce a firm plan to rid the town of vagrancy. He said some vagrants were a threat to the safety of people in the crowded town centre.
Boodhan also wanted to know what plans Ramdhan had for preparing the town for city status since he had seen no evidence of any such plans after 100 days of the life of the new council. He said there was a visible deterioration in the way food was being sold in the borough, especially from vans and carts. ?Boodhan said there appeared to be a curtailment of the aggressive programme that had existed up to a few months ago. He said he had observed a lack of use of gloves and the handling of money and food by the same person thus creating serious health hazards.
