Moonilal leads gov't business in Parliament

Housing and Environment Minister Dr Roodal Moonilal will lead government business in the House of Representative when the 10th Parliament convenes on Friday.

"I have asked Dr Moonilal, in consultation with my colleagues, to be the leader of Government business in the Parliament in the House,’ Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar told reporters Saturday.

She was speaking at the wetlands on the edge of the Caroni Swamp, off Cacandee Road, Felicity, which is part of the area that the government has selected as part of its "Clean and Beautify Trinidad and Tobago" campaign.

Several groups are private contractors are working on the program aimed at cleaning rivers and drains and removing debris from waterways. Persad-Bissessar has set aside June 27 for citizens to get involved in the national campaign.

She also spoke of the clean up projects in several areas that have suffered from flooding, noting that "not one additional cent" has been spent in the clean-up campaign so far in those communities.

"Thus far, Government has spent no additional money because we have mobilised the resources within the Government services from the Army, the Ministry of Works, Local Government and the Environment," she said.

"Local contractors are coming in, they are sponsoring equipment, time and, of course, community members are coming forward. So whatever is being spent already by the Government for Works, Local Government, CEPEP, URP, that money is the money that is being utilised," she said.

Persad-Bissessar promised that the cleaning operations would continue throughout T&T and that Government would not wait until things get worse before it attempted to deal with the situation.