RESPONDING to complaints from UNC MPs about flooding in their respective constituencies and related claims that nothing was being done to address this problem, Works and Transport Minister Rohan Sinanan said nothing could be further from the truth.

Sinanan gave his responses to Opposition MPs before the Standing Finance Committee of the House of Representatives approved a $2,359,344,860 allocation for his ministry. Couva North MP Ravi Raitram claimed that because certain water courses in Central Trinidad were not cleaned, his constituency experiences numerous flooding problems. "People have been flooding out."

In response, Sinanan said, "The drainage division (of the ministry) cannot stop flooding." He explained that mitigation measures are taken to reduce flooding. "That is why in the areas that you spoke about, once the rain stops, you have an immediate run-off."

Sinanan added, "That is testimony that the drainage division has been doing their work." He said, "At the end of the day, there is no country in the world that gets the sort of rainfall that we get here and has the infrastructure that will eliminate flooding once and for all."

On a question raised by Ratiram about a person who was employed with the Unemployment Relief Programme (URP), Sinanan explained the posts in the programme which the committee was dealing with ones filled by public servants. "What you would be referring to are contract persons. That is under a different head."

Ratiram replied, "If I may be allowed to ask the question, then your answer might be in line with what I am asking." He asked whether the person he mentioned has any authority to be giving instructions on any matter.

Reiterating the item being considered dealt with public servants, Sinanan said the person Ratiram mentioned is not a public servant. "She is a civilian. The URP is an unemployment relief programme and anyone can recommend names for employment. Anyone including MPs from opposition constituencies...MPs from government constituencies."

Sinanan said this matter was properly addressed when the URP programme director "instructed that there is a process for hiring in URP."

Couva South MP Rudranath Indarsingh claimed vacancies in certain agencies under the ministry "is effecting the delivery of service to people." Sinanan replied, "Right now, the ministry is functioning." He admitted while there were some vacancies, efforts are being made to fill them as soon as possible.

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