Moontown

Juhel Browne jbrowne@trinidadexpress.com

FORMER West Indies captain Brian Charles Lara has been giving advice to Sports Minister Gary Hunt and the Urban Development Corporation of Trinidad and Tobago (UDeCOTT) on some aspects of the stadium and cricket academy being built in Tarouba bearing his name.

And for the most part, Hunt says Lara is satisfied with the BLCA project except for one key component.

“There hasn’t been any major adjustments that Mr Lara has asked for. He wants some more practice nets on the external, which we are going to move quickly to get done because we need to have something like about 13 nets -because we are going into an academy and you need a lot of nets,” Hunt said.

Hunt made the disclosure in an interview at the Red House in Port of Spain, last week, but clarified that Lara is a not a paid consultant on the project, which is under the portfolio of the State-owned UDeCOTT and is now expected to cost taxpayers more than $700 million and is three years behind schedule.

The BLCA is part of the proposed Tarouba Sporting Complex that is also supposed to include a velodrome, an aquatic centre and other sporting facilities. Its original price estimate was $850 million in May 2005.

With the Trinidad and Tobago squad playing well in the Airtel 2020 Champions League tournament in India, Hunt said a 20/20 practice match featuring top local players and field officials will be held at the BLCA stadium to allow them to assess pitch conditions. The T&T squad cruised into the semi-final in India yesterday.

“We haven’t pinned down a time yet but it’s very, very soon. Very soon we will be testing the ground with a 20/20 match. That is the intention,” Hunt said.

He said the input of those attending the practice match will be invaluable, since they will provide, as players and officiators of the game, observations that designers and engineers would not be able to.

“We will have to do corrective measures with the wicket and outfield if needs be,” Hunt said, adding that the match will not be open to the public.

Asked when the stadium aspect of the BLCA project will be completed, Hunt could not give an exact date but was confident it would be delivered “very soon”.

The entire BLCA project was the subject of the Commission of Enquiry into UDeCOTT and the local construction sector.

Gyasi Gonzales ggonzales@trinidadexpress.com

Leisurely walk: Two workers from the Beijing Luijing Construction Company (T&T) walk back to their living quarters in Cunupia yesterday. -Photo: CURTIS CHASE

CHINESE workers attached to the Beijing Luijing Construction Company were free to leave their living quarters in Cunupia and go whenever they pleased yesterday.

This was not the case on Saturday, when security guards locked the gates to the compound, preventing former Chaguanas MP Manohar Ramsaran and a group of people from entering the compound to distribute food and Divali treats to the workers.

The workers shot into the spotlightlast Tuesday, when they staged a protest along the Uriah Butler Highway complaining that the company was mistreating them and had not paid them wages for two months, claims the company has denied.

On Saturday, the workers were again in the limelight when the security guards locked them into their living quarters at Chatee Trace, Cunupia, to prevent Ramsaran and his delegation from gaining access.

Yesterday when the Express visited the compound, however, the workers were free to roam wherever they pleased,

The area is largely agricultural but there is not much in the way of amenities other than the neighbourhood bar and a small grocery. There are houses around but they are concentrated mainly in one area, with the rest of land dedicated towards farming.

The workers quarters is in the middle of farmland located just off the side of a not-very-well paved road.

The first person who greeted the Express news team yesterday afternoon was a heavily built private security guard.

“It eh the workers we trying to keep in, is allyuh (media) we trying to keep out,” said the officer, who did not want to give his name.

While trying to get photos of the workers on the site, he advised, “This is private property … no photos!”

However, the Express did see some of the workers moving around freely in the village nearest to the camp. Close by, one worker had a Coca Cola in hand as he and his friend chatted in their native tongue in a small shed.

As if to make a point, two of the other guards joined their burly colleague, now looking at the Express over an almost six-foot wall, and attempted to hand the news team two styrotex boxes of food, challenging reports that the workers were not being fed.

“Nobody being kept here against their will, allyuh reporters not easy at all,” the officer said.

The Express also had a brief chat with some of the nearby villagers.

“Them fellas does be out all hours,” said a man who did not want to be named.

“But I eh know bout that slavery thing,” he continued.

Kim Boodram kboodram@trinidadexpress.com

HIGH ALERT: Dr Carol Boyd-Scobie, left, of the Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO), leans in to listen to Health Minister Jerry Narace during yesterday’s press conference addressing the Influenza A/H1N1 virus or swine flu threat to Trinidad and Tobago. -Photo: CURTIS CHASE

TAMIFLU, the drug hailed around the world as being the most effective treatment for influenza-type illnesses like the influenza A/H1N1 (swine flu) virus, will soon be available - at no cost - through private and public medical institutions.

Giving assurances that Government was putting great effort into keeping swine flu at bay, Health Minister Jerry Narace said yesterday that there is Tamiflu for everyone and the drug will be distributed to all health practitioners who ask for it.

Narace was speaking at a press conference at his ministry’s Park Street, Port of Spain office, where he also reminded the public that although there is no need to panic, the illness is still “a very serious threat” and vigilance is necessary.

Also at yesterday’s press conference were Chief Medical Officer at the Eric Williams Medical Sciences Complex (EWMSC), Dr Helmer Hilwig, the Health Ministry’s Chief Medical Officer, Dr Anton Cumberbatch, the Pan-American Health Organisation (PAHO) representative, Dr Carol Boyd-Scobie, the ministry’s Head of Medical Programmes Dr Kumar Sundaraneedi and epidemiologist Dr Avery Hinds.

An alliance with the private medical sector, which Narace said will be ‘formalised’ today, was the most significant change in the Government’s policy regarding management of the virus. It was previously advised that all suspected and confirmed cases must be handled by medical outlets of the Ministry of Health.

Private institutions now have the go ahead to treat all levels of infection - but the ministry must be kept up to date with the patients’ information, Narace said.

In addition, medical practitioners may also contact the ministry for supplies of Tamiflu and patients must obtain it from them. Infected patients who need it most will be given priority - hence the reason it will not be readily available from pharmacies, Narace said.

“There is enough for the nation. I want to emphasise that the drug is free and at no time should a patient be charged for it,” Narace said.

He also said that negotiations for a supply of vaccines are now closing with PAHO.

“About 250,000 vaccines are expected around the middle of November,” he said.

Dr Boyd-Scobie later said people in high-risk groups, such as the obese, the infirm and those with compromised immune systems should negotiate with their doctors for vaccines.

“Vaccines are not to be confused with Tamiflu,” Boyd-Scobie said.

Trinidad and Tobago has so far recorded 163 laboratory-confirmed cases of the virus, with four deaths in the past few weeks.

Narace said yesterday that all the fatalities were people who had been admitted for treatment at the later stages of the illness and who had other health issues, while the other cases had been successfully treated.

Nevertheless, he has ordered a probe into the deaths and said he expects a report shortly. The minister denied, however, any suspicion of neglect and said he will reserve judgement until the probe is complete.

Addressing concerns that testing in the public health institutions was not up to mark, Hilwig said a test result was “not the Holy Grail” and should merely act as a guide for the doctor. Doctors should use their discretion in assessing the symptoms of a patient and should not put off acting while they wait for a test result, he said

“Doctors must be able to decide without a test result and they should be treating the symptoms in the meantime,” Hilwig said, adding that the public health labs should not be bogged down with testing.

It is important that Tamiflu be given by a doctor, he said, and that patients be well-informed, as the drug can cause side-effects like nausea, dizziness, headache and coughing - all symptoms of the actual illness.

Cumberbath also denied claims by some members of the public that the Trinidad Public Health Laboratory was being shut down on weekends, leaving testing of suspected cases on hold for days.

“The door may be closed but I assure you there is work going on inside,” Cumberbatch said.

Narace and the panel also continued to plead with the public to do its part in prevention by observing proper hygiene and by staying healthy through proper diet, exercise and the recommended daily amount of vitamins.

About Tamiflu

Tamiflu is a prescription medication used to treat the influenza, or ‘flu’, virus in its early stages. It can shorten the duration of the flu if taken as soon as symptoms start, but will not cure the common cold.

Tamiflu is not a vaccine but, in some cases where a vaccine is not available, it can be used by a doctor as a preventive agent in those who have been exposed to the virus.

Use of the drug is not specific to ’swine flu’, as it has been used against influenza-type viruses like the avian influenza or ‘bird’ flu. The drug is approved for adults and children over 12 months of age, but cannot be taken by patients with an allergy to the active ingredient, oseltamivir phosphate.

While the previous global medical position was that the drug is not to be taken by women who are nursing or pregnant and children under 12 months, in April 2009, certain medical organisations agreed that the benefits outweighed the risks and the drug was approved for use by these high risk groups. Patients with kidney disease, heart disease, respiratory disease or any other serious health condition are also at risk from the use of this drug.

All dissemination of this drug must be done by a qualified medical practitioner.

(Source: US Food and Drug Administration)

Minister of Energy and Mining, James Robertson (left), in discussion with Chairman of the Caribbean Renewable Energy Forum, Jerry Butler (right), at the two-day Forum in Montego Bay

This announced on Friday by Minister of Energy and Mining, James Robertson, at a two-day Caribbean Renewable Energy Forum, being held in Montego Bay.

“Jamaica is on track for the development of waste-to-energy plants and as part of its mandate, the Petroleum Corporation of Jamaica (PCJ) has advanced an international tender process that has resulted in the selection of Cambridge Project Development Company and its partners, to finance, design, build, own and operate two waste-to-energy facilities in Jamaica,” he said.

“Provided that all goes well with the due diligence being conducted, these plants will be operated over a 20-year period through a joint venture of PCJ and the Cambridge Project group,” Robertson pointed out.

The Minister said that a total of 65 megawatts of electricity from the waste-to-energy project, would offset power that was today being generated with expensive imported fuel oil.

“In fact, these two plants will save or avoid the importation of over 700,000 barrels of fuel each year, representing a savings, at today’s relatively low oil prices, of approximately US$60 million annually. The two waste-to- energy plants will sell power to the national grid under power purchasing agreements and their power sales price will not be driven directly by international oil price, as the imported fuel oil is today. This means that the two facilities will represent a significant hedge against future oil price spikes, like the one experienced globally in 2008,” the Minister said.

He noted that the power to be generated from these two waste-to- energy facilities represents about 18 per cent the current electricity needs of the country, excluding the energy-intensive bauxite/alumina industry. “If the bauxite/alumina industry is included, then the two plants could generate approximately 7 per cent of the nation’s electricity requirements. We therefore look forward to the success of this project,” the Minister said.

Turning to the E-10 fuel diversification programme started in Jamaica in 2008, Robertson said that the present demand had exceeded projections.

“Early next month, there will be a full rollout of the E-10 programme to all parishes in Jamaica. The development of the Bio-fuels industry is targeted to provide ethanol from locally grown feedstock and to also provide export opportunities under the Caribbean Basin Initiative. In that regard, in November last year, Jamaica accepted an invitation to join the MOU between America and Brazil for the advancement of co-operation on Bio- fuels. This will be advanced in the near future,” the Minister said.

He emphasised that the timing of the Caribbean Renewable Energy Forum was important and significant, not only to Jamaica’s energy sector, but to those of the entire region.

“As we come together as country representatives, private investors and the wider donor community, let us remember that we owe it to those we represent to leave here with solutions and plans of action that are timely, economical and implementable. Today we have an opportunity to move away from our splintered ways at tackling the challenges posed in implementing energy conservation and developing renewable,” the Minister told the participants.

Energy Ministers and officials from the Caribbean, a US government delegation, and representatives from the public and private sectors and development finance banks are participating in the forum, which will seek to discuss and drive forward, the renewable energy agenda for the region.

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados (BGIS) — The Barbados Government is moving assiduously to tackle the economic problems with which this country is faced.

Prime Minister David Thompson as he addressed the opening ceremony of a conference on “Policies and Strategies to face the Global Downturn: The Way Forward in the Caribbean” at the Hilton Hotel

This assertion was made Friday, by Prime Minister David Thompson at the opening of a two-day conference on “Policies and Strategies to face the Global Economic Downturn: The Way Forward for the Caribbean”.

The meeting was convened by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), the Caribbean Development Bank(CDB), the Canadian International Development Agency and the Department for International Development.

The Prime Minister told the gathering of public and private sector officials that “significant attention will be placed “on improving the efficiency of the services needed by the international business sector and on further strengthening the regulation and supervision of the entire financial sector of the country”.

Thompson noted that these efforts would be geared at increasing Barbados’ foreign exchange earnings, as well as increasing employment.

In addition, the Prime Minister stated that government would be “intensifying “our negotiation of double taxation treaties in Latin and South America, Africa, Asia and Europe, so that our network of double taxation treaties becomes very much more valuable to potential investors.”

Furthermore, an intensified housing programme was in the planning stages and some government lands were being earmarked for major tourism improvements which would start in about two years.

Other initiatives, Thompson explained, would involve the expansion of port facilities to accommodate a larger cruise ship programme “without impairing the efficiency of cargo operations”.

“Luckily for us, much of the infrastructural work to be done is of the sort that can bear charges to users and so can be constructed through Public-Private-Partnerships without requiring resources from Central Government,”he underlined.

However, of coastal infrastructure, would be facilitated through government borrowing from the IDB and the CDB.

The Prime Minister revealed that this infrastructure plan would not only provide increased capacity for the country in both the short and medium term, but would also increase employment immediately, and provide some buoyancy in the growth of the economy.

However, he suggested that these measures “will not significantly affect our fiscal deficit or our debt burden”. Rather, Thompson affirmed that the method of financing “should provide us with sufficient foreign exchange to keep our international reserves at an adequate level”.

Bearing in mind the importance of the tourism sector to economic development, the Prime Minister announced his intention “to ramp up tourism marketing “to make sure that we benefit as much as possible from the rebound in the developed markets and that we begin further diversification of our tourism source markets”.

“Further, we are seeking to provide loan and equity funding to be accessed by our hotels for operations, refurbishment and upgrade during the next couple of years,” he revealed.

The Prime Minister conceded that it would take “a little time” for the policies to be implemented and to bear fruit. However, he expressed confidence that government’s labour would not be in vain.

BritishAirways to increase flights to Barbados

Petra Roach, BTA Vice-President Marketing & Sales UK, said, “We have a strong relationship with British Airways and welcome this increase in flights. It shows the confidence BA have in Barbados as a destination and we are delighted they continue to offer four cabins, including First, reflecting the breadth of visitors we attract.”

These flights, which will continue throughout 2010, will significantly increase British Airway’s capacity, while also allowing potential visitors to the island more flexibility on both the outbound and return flights.

Barbados is the only Caribbean island to which British Airways flies a four cabin Boeing 777 aircraft with First Class, Club World, World Traveller Plus and World Traveller seats.