Construction on the Point Fortin end of the Solomon Hochoy Highway extension project remained at a standstill yesterday, even though three security firms were hired to protect OAS workers. Two additional firms were hired after a multi-million-dollar crane was damaged in a firebomb attack at the site on Saturday night. When the T&T Guardian visited, there were more guards than workers on the site. Only three excavator and forklift operators were at the site, identified as 42 Guapo Reserve.
The guards, who ran away from media cameras, were from Ned Security, First Response Service Ltd and HBS Security. An OAS official who requested anonymity said 21 workers were stationed at the reserve but since the firebombing the team had been despatched to work at Silver Stream, Mon Desir, where a four-kilometre stretch of road is being built, along with the Berridge Trace underpass.
“We do not know when construction will start. We do not want to have people idle, so we sent most of them out to other areas to work,” the official said. Workers said because of the destruction of the crane it may be weeks before construction resumed on the Point Fortin leg of the $7.4 billion extension. Excavator operator Pooran Ramadhar said since the firebombing, he had not been working.
“The crane has to lift the piles to auger. We putting the steel more than 100 feet in the ground, but because they destroyed the crane, nothing can happen here as yet,” Ramadhar explained. Asked whether he was scared to work at the site, Ramadhar said no but called for increased police and army protection. “Since this weekend, I have not seen a single police patrol here. They should have brought down the army to watch over workers by now,” he recommended.
His colleague Christopher Bridgelal, who operates a telehandler forklift, said OAS staff had visited the site but were yet to give instructions to resume work. “We just sitting here waiting. We hoping that they will give us some more directives soon,” Bridgelal added. First Response officer Andy Wallace said yesterday that even though additional security was hired, police were continuing to make patrols.
“We have officers passing through a few times during the day and especially at nights,” Wallace said. Police said they were yet to arrest the three men who set fire to the crane.