Bamboo Booth Torn Down

By Prior Beharry

WEEKS after residents of Bamboo Number Two were given notice to take down a security booth at the entrance to their community, it was torn down under heavy police presence on Thursday morning.

Workers from the Tunapuna Regional Corporation broke down the structure set up after residents complained about crime in the area.

The community had admitted that it put up the structure without the corporation’s permission, but wrote to it retroactively seeking approval.

Community activist and businessman Inshan Ishmael told AZP News on Thursday that this was a clear case of discrimination against the residents of Bamboo.

He said the booth was up for two-and-a-half months and while no guard was in it, there was not a report about a single incident of crime in Bamboo.

Ishmael said, “The village is in shock. We cannot believe that all over the Tunapuna Piarco Regional Corporation there are breaches and the corporation decided to break down this structure.”

He said there were about 12 unauthorised concrete structures at Mt Hope and the corporation has done nothing about them.

Ishmael said the villagers have sent a letter to the corporation and have also spoken to attorneys Prakash Ramadhar and Richard Jaggessar and were exploring their legal options.

At a political meeting last month, Opposition Leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar said, “The reality is that throughout the country, not just in Bamboo, there has been a drastic increase in violent crimes, home invasions, rapes, robberies, and murders, targeting citizens in the comfort of their homes and communities.”

She had also advised them on how to set up a gated community. She said there must first be a petition signed by two-thirds of the residents and it should be sent with a letter to the regional corporation.