Three ministries to be built in Chaguanas

The Government is moving to central Trinidad, as Cabinet yesterday approved the construction of the headquarters of three ministries in Chaguanas. Foreign Affairs and Communications Minister Dr Surujrattan Rambachan told yesterday’s post-Cabinet news conference at the Office of the Prime Minister, St Clair, that the ministries of Community Development and Science Technology and Tertiary Education have been allocated lands at Connector Road to establish their headquarters. He said the Food Production Ministry would be relocated to Factory Road, also in Chaguanas. “So you are seeing bold initiatives on the part of the Government of Trinidad and Tobago to deal with this matter of decentralisation out of a very crowded Port-of-Spain,” he said.

 

Rambachan said the move would lead to the development of rural communities and jobs for residents of those communities. Rambachan said buildings to house the College of Science Technology and Applied Arts (Costaatt), the University of the West Indies Open Centre, and new Institute of Public Management and Administration are to be constructed in Chaguanas. He said the lands for the new headquarters of the Science Ministry and the UWI Open Campus close to the Divali Nagar site will be dedicated today.  The new Costaatt headquarters will be built on 30 acres of land at Connector Road.

 

Public Administration Minister Carolyn Seepersad-Bachan, who also spoke at the news conference, said June 23 was designated by the UN as Public Service Day. Cabinet yesterday agreed to the celebration of 50 years of public service in T&T from June 18 to 23.  Seepersad-Bachan said a gala event called “From Gold to Diamond,” to be held on June 23, will recognise and reward public officers who have served with distinction over the last 50 years. The occasion will also be used to emphasise the Government’s vision for advancement of the Public Service.