Caption: UNC candidate for Aranguez/ St Joseph Devesh Maharaj speaks with residents of Sooknanan Street in Aranguez. AZP News/Prior Beharry
By Prior Beharry
UNITED National Congress (UNC) candidate for Aranguez/St Joseph in the upcoming general election, Devesh Maharaj, says crime, lack of infrastructure, and unemployment continue to plague the constituency.
He has pledged to bring solutions to these problems.
The constituency is currently in the hands of the People’s National Movement (PNM), with Health Minister Terrence Deyalsingh as its MP.
AZP News caught up with Maharaj during a walkabout on Thursday at Sooknanan Street East, Aranguez.
Crime
He said, “Crime has run rampant in Aranguez. So many home invasions robberies have not been reported to the police because they (the residents) feel a sense of hopelessness. That’s the main issue.”
Maharaj said the second issue was the decaying infrastructure such as the lack of maintenance of drains and roads. He said many drains have stagnant water, and this was a health hazard.
Unemployment
He said another issue was youth employment.
Maharaj said, “So many youths are on the streets, they are unemployed and underemployed. They cannot find employment with either governmental agencies or the private sector.”
He added, “Therefore they are turning to an alternative lifestyle which is not very healthy for themselves or the community”
Solutions
Maharaj said, “The UNC led by our esteemed leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar has a lot of programmes to deal with crime.”
He said, “We have a whole national security infrastructure to put into place. A plan that will not only deal with the police.”
Maharaj added, “It’s not only a crime plan, it’s a national security plan that… is going to be unfolded and shown at the right and opportune moment and which is going to restrict the level of criminality in the country.
“Our borders will be properly secured; nothing leaves and nothing comes in without the appropriate approval. Our borders are wide open now – for illegal immigration and for illegal substances, guns.”
To deal with other issues, Maharaj said the UNC has a national development infrastructure plan that will deal with the problems in the Aranguez area.
He said, “You cannot do it piecemeal; there has to be something that drains the Aranguez properly with the paving of roads and fixing of pavements.”
To deal with unemployment, Maharaj said, “We have to have a lot of entrepreneurship taking place with the young people gearing them towards finding jobs for themselves and to cut off the dependency on the national system, the governmental system , grants and all of that.”
He said that especially in the north side of the constituency there were many youths on the streets as they depended on governmental funding and grants.
Maharaj said, “They are all willing to come to the table to participate in these entrepreneurial programmes.”
