Maharaj to ‘give life’ to Central airport.
By Clint Chan Tack (Newsday).
DEVANT MAHARAJ yesterday said one of his top priorities as this country’s new Transport Minister will be “to give life” to Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar’s promise to build an airport at Camden in Couva.
The Prime Minister made this promise when she addressed a rally at Mid Centre Mall, Chaguanas on May 24 to commemorate the first anniversary of the People’s Partnership coalition government.
Persad-Bissessar said the proposed airport would handle domestic flights in the first instance, from Trinidad to Tobago, and could be expanded later on to handle international flights.
Speaking with Newsday at his temporary office on the sixth floor at Nicholas Towers in Port-of- Spain, Maharaj said it was his intention to ensure the Camden Airport which Persad-Bissessar envisioned becomes a reality.
“I will be working assiduously to ensure that promise is realised,” he said. Maharaj added that presently the airstrip at Camden needs to be expanded to handle the increased amount of helicopter flights from the heliport there to the country’s offshore oil facilities.
Maharaj said he does not yet have the technical staff to undertake a study to find out whether the proposed airport is economically viable. Noting questions have been raised in the public domain about whether the country needs a third airport when it already has the Piarco and Arthur NR Robinson International Airports, Maharaj said he would need to speak with Finance Minister Winston Dookeran about whether Government could afford to construct another airport given the state of the country’s economic affairs.
Another initiative which Maharaj said he wants to expedite is the establishment of a regional fast-ferry in this country. Persad-Bissessar spoke about this initiative at the recent Caricom Heads of Government Meeting in St Kitts and Nevis.
Expressing confidence that the schedules for all Government ministries would soon be approved and released, Maharaj said, “I have no anxiety for the Ministry of Transport and its relationship with the Ministry of Works or any other ministry for that matter.”
Maharaj said in the absence of having a schedule, he has had “icebreaker” talks with Caribbean Airlines chairman George Nicholas III and heads of some other agencies which he believes should fall under his purview.
Maharaj again dismissed reports there was a conflict of interest regarding his temporary office at Nicholas Towers.
“This whole floor and other floors were rented by the previous administration. This office here was utilised by a former minister in the Office of the Prime Minister. Whether or not I am in occupation of it or not is part of a total package rental. My occupation here is a temporary one and I don’t see there is any conflict of interest,” he said.
