SHALIZA HASSANALI
An investigation into four non-functioning traffic lights at key locations across the country by the Traffic Management Team has unearthed evidence of sabotage and vandalism.
The finding was revealed yesterday by Works and Transport Minister Rohan Sinanan, hours after Opposition Senator Anil Roberts raised the issue of the non-functioning lights at a UNC media conference.
Roberts said for several days the lights at intersections in Gulf City, Morvant and Sunset Cove in La Romaine had stopped working, leaving many motorists to navigate these dangerous roads on their own.
As a result of the non-functioning lights, Roberts said there were at least seven accidents where injuries were reported and called on the ministry to pay the contractors responsible for their maintenance immediately.
But while Sinanan confirmed last week that the lights were not working due to non-payment to contractors, he said yesterday that a recent investigation by the ministry’s Traffic Management Team discovered that people have been stealing and “willfully and maliciously cutting the cables from traffic lights,” rendering them unworkable.
He said this happened at four major traffic lights at the Morvant Intersection, two areas in South and another location.
“Problems of the lights going out is as a result of sabotage and vandalism. But the lights don’t go out as you owe somebody (contractors). The lights go out as a result of something...and in these cases, what we found is that the lights went out with malicious intent.”
Sinanan said these matters have since been reported to the police.
“I understand the police are investigating it ... they are making inroads into who did it. These lights were deliberately tampered with. My information from the Traffic Management Branch is that the police is very close in making an arrest.”
While Sinanan said when they learnt that the lights were deliberately interfered with “we set out to repair them.
“We had to go out and source cables ... we had to buy cables to replace the ones that were stolen. Yes, we have proof,” Sinanan said.
Sinanan said people could have their own motive for removing the lines.
“We all know about cable being stolen and sold as copper wires. So there are different motives,” he said.
On Saturday, the ministry issued a press release informing the public that the Morvant lights had been repaired and urged members of the public to report any acts of sabotage to its Traffic Management Branch or the T&T Police Service.
Sinanan said the lights in South are also now functioning again.
While contractors would always have a running account with the Government, Sinanan said “there are some outstanding bills. We are making all arrangements to pay the outstanding bills.”
Sinanan could not say how much the contractors were owed. Up to yesterday, however, Sinanan said the contractors had not yet been paid.
“Still all the lights are up and running. It shows that the lights going out had nothing to do with the outstanding payments to the contractors or else the light would have still been out,” he said.