Imbert slams ODPM, agency says former works minister out of line

The Member of Parliament for Diego Martin North-East Colm Imbert told reporters Wednesday the the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Management (ODPM) is a “waste of time”.

He made the comment following a visit to areas affected by landslides and flooding in his constituency. 

The former works minister acknowledged that some state agencies, particularly the Ministry of Works, the CEPEP, the Housing Ministry and the regional corporations, have responded well and are performing. 

However he said he was dissatisfied with the response of the Ministry of Social Development and the ODPM.

Imbert there is still a problem accessing basic items such as mattresses for affected residents. 

“That’s where the ODPM has fallen down because they are saying it is not their responsibility which is absolutely ridiculous,” he said. 

“They have a disaster this size, with ten houses either collapsed or in danger of collapse, near 100 people homeless, disaster everywhere you can see and the ODPM saying don’t call them, call the regional corporations,” he said.

However the chairman of the ODPM, Dr. Stephen Ramroop, told the media that Imbert should familiarise himself with the role of the ODPM, which he said is a co-ordinating body that pushes other state agencies into responding. 

“ODPM is not a responder agency," he said. "We do not have the budget for rehabilitation or recovery efforts and I hope I can educate Mr Imbert to that fact,” he said.

He explained that there are four responder agencies: 

• the Ministry of Social Development
• the Ministry of Housing
• the Ministry of Community Development
• the Ministry of Local Government, through the regional corporations

“The ODPM orchestrates and monitors performance of these agencies,” Ramroop said. “If Imbert won’t report, we won’t know if he finds the recovery efforts of these bodies unsatisfactory.”