An unresolved issue between a company linked to Minister of Youth Development and National Service Foster Cummings and the Couva/Tabaquite/Talparo Regional Corporation over the excavation and removal of dirt from land in Indian Trail, Couva, has left some villagers upset. Back in February, the Regional Corporation served Cummings' company, Pical Services with a discontinuance notice, effectively barring his company from carrying out works at the site of the Indian Trail Recreation Grounds.
While the Regional Corporation said it just wants the details to approve the works, Cummings is blaming "cheap politics" for the stalled project.
The field itself, located next to the Bread of Life church, is dug up, littered with rubbish and articles of clothing and has mounds of dirt piled in different spaces.
This was supposed to be the grounds for the Indian Trail residents to have a space for recreation, instead, it's a dirt heap.
According to the profile on Cummings' ministerial page, he is described as a "native of Indian Trail, Couva."
The issue between the parties stems from the lack of information given by Pical to the Regional Corporation about the scope of works and what it planned to do with the soil it was moving off the land.
According to documents received by the Sunday Guardian, the discontinuance notice from the Couva/Tabaquite/Talparo Corporation was served to Pical Services office at 140 Southern Main Road in Couva, back in February, and was received and signed by Abiola Cummings.
The Sunday Guardian called all four office numbers listed for Pical last week and they were all disconnected. The Sunday Guardian also reached out to Cummings via WhatsApp messages on Wednesday and Thursday but he did not respond.
By Thursday, this reporter received a call from Maureen James, secretary of the Indian Trail Village Council. James said that she "understood" that questions were being asked about the suspended work at the grounds.
When told that the Sunday Guardian had a letter which showed that Cummings' company was suspended from the works because it was illegal, James said, "Illegal? Nothing illegal was happening."
She then asked for an email address and sent a media release defending Cummings' company and the work at the recreation grounds.
"These are the facts: The villagers of Indian Trail, Couva, have been without recreational facilities for decades. Over 30 years ago, Caroni (1975) Ltd made available a parcel of land for a recreational ground for the community. No work was ever done by the Couva/Tabaquite/Talparo Regional Corporation to develop these lands and provide a recreating ground for the community."
In 2019 the Village Council decided to undertake a voluntary work programme to establish a recreation ground on the land and approached "several businesses." They said that two companies responded–Pical Services and Envirotech Ltd.
"A letter was written to the Regional Corporation advising them of our plans for this community project. They requested additional information and gave verbal approval to proceed," the Village Council said.
It said that "from time to time" representatives from the Regional Corporation visited the site to monitor the work being conducted using the equipment donated by Pical Services.
Work, they said, stalled in 2020 and 2021 because of the pandemic. The work restarted in January 2022 and by February the stop notice was issued.
The Village Council said that its "dream to develop a recreation ground for use by the villagers has been dashed."
By Saturday Cummings responded.
"This was a community project that dates back to 2019 for which the Village Council in Indian Trail requested assistance from the business community. At the time I was still in business and we agreed to donate some equipment to assist," he said.
"The UNC-controlled corporation has chosen to stop the project and engage in cheap politics much to the disadvantage of the villagers."
When asked if he would consider abiding by the Regional Corporation's call for more details and continue with the project when approved, Cummings said that he "cannot speak on behalf of the company but the Village Council can approach the management."
Chairman: Notice given for unauthorised engineering excavation/construction
United National Congress councillor Henry Awong, chairman of the Regional Corporation said on Thursday that the discontinuance notice had nothing to do with the creation of recreation space and more to do with the removal of dirt. The discontinuance notice was served to stop "unauthorised engineering excavation/construction" at the grounds.
It forced Pical to "immediately discontinue the unauthorised and unsupervised works, which are being carried out without the approval of the Couva/ Tabaquite/Talparo Regional Corporation."
Awong said his chief concern was that the dirt was being removed from the site and they were in the dark about where it was going because there was no plan submitted to the corporation.
"Let me be clear, we would have approved it but it was done incorrectly," he said.
He said that without a scope of work for the project, the corporation had no idea what was going on or where the dirt was taken to or even what was done with it.
"We knew nothing and the village council cannot make a decision to bring in someone to do volunteer work without the corporation giving a go-ahead," he said.
Awong said the corporation approached Pical for information on the planned works to give the formal approval but they have not heard back from the company.
"When they return with that plan, we'd take it from there," he said
Only two agencies can approve works
There are only two agencies that can approve works on the recreation grounds, the Regional Corporation or the Ministry of Rural Development and Local Government.
On February 25, the matter was raised in Parliament. MP for Couva South Rudy Indarsingh asked whether any "contract for the upgrade of the Indian Trail Recreation Ground" had been awarded.
At that time, Health Minister Terrence Deyalsingh responded on behalf of the absent minister and said that the Ministry of Rural Development "has not awarded any contract for the upgrade of the Indian Trail Recreation Ground."
He also noted then that the ground was the responsibility of the Couva/Tabaquite/Talparo Regional Corporation.
Other land issues plaguing Cummings
This is not the only land issue still plaguing the minister.
Cummings did confirm in earlier reports that he owned two parcels of land which he purchased from the leaseholder. According to reports, Cummings purchased the land from a lady who held a 199-year lease on the state lands
But according to the HDC governing by-laws, HDC lands cannot be sold unless approved by the HDC itself.
The Sunday Guardian reached out to former minister of housing Penelope Beckles about the sale of the land, but she did not respond. The Sunday Guardian also reached out to current Housing Minister Camille Robinson-Regis about the same thing and there was also no response.
The HDC executive directed questions to the former chairman Newman George who was appointed as HDC chairman from 2015 until he demitted office in 2019.
George too did not respond to questions on the matter.
BOX as a separate story
On Special Branch report... 'The matter is receiving the attention of the court'
Meanwhile, Foster Cummings will not be addressing the Special Branch, which named him part of an investigation into two companies and the award of contracts.
When asked about the issue yesterday, Cummings said, "the matter is now receiving the attention of the court."
On Thursday, Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley addressed the matter at length and directed the media to ask Cummings about the police report, even as he was being directed by the Opposition to take action against his Minister.
While insisting that he was not defending anyone, the Prime Minister said that a Special Branch report was an intelligence document, not an evidential one, and as such, it required further investigation before any decision could be made about its contents.
The Prime Minister said that the contents of a Special Branch report could be just an "arbitrary observation" and needed further investigating.
Rowley also slammed the Opposition for bringing the details of a Special Branch report into the public domain, saying that it was the first time one was used that way.
Cummings has remained mum on the report that was raised on the UNC platform by Opposition Senator Jayanti Lutchmedial, but he did issue a pre-action protocol letter. Cummings demanded an apology, a retraction and compensation from Lutchmedial.