By Sue-Ann Wayow
GOVERNMENT will be encouraged to make public the completed report from the Commission of Enquiry (CoE) into the Paria-LMCS tragedy as soon as possible.
CoE’s chairman Jerome Lynch is hoping that by the end of April, the final report will be ready to be submitted to the President.
On Friday, during the CoE’s evidentiary hearings at the International Waterfront Centre, Port-of-Spain, Lynch said the incident that occurred last February in which four underwater divers died, generated much public interest and the population should be made aware of the details of the Commission’s report.
He said, “It is a matter entirely for them (government) as to when they make it public. I will do everything in my power to encourage them to do so pronto. This a matter which clearly has attracted considerable public attention and it involves the future of this industry and people’s lives.
“If there is any value in having this public enquiry, it is in making available our report as humanly possible to that end. That is why we have worked as hard as we have to try and make sure that it is available at the earliest opportunity.”
The CoE is in its last stages of the evidentiary hearings and senior counsel members are expected to give closing statements next week.
Before witnesses were called to the stand, Lynch asked if representatives of the Occupational Safety and Health Agency (OSHA) not be asked to give oral evidence based on evidence already provided.
That was agreed to by both Paria’s attorney Gilbert Peterson, SC, and LMCS’s attorney Kamini Persaud-Maharaj.
Lynch also said that new videos were received on Wednesday from Zayed Khan of In-Corr Tech Ltd, the company that was hired to do an independent investigation of the incident and according to In-Corr Tech’s report, a Delta-P hazardous situation caused the divers to be sucked into the pipeline located at No.36 Sealine Riser Berth #6, near Pointe-a-Pierre.
He said those videos available on the Commission’s website will be used during Khan’s testimonial next week Tuesday.
Additionally, the viewing date for the hyperbaric chamber also referred to as the habitat which the men were working on, was placed for March 14.
Peterson asked that the emergence of the chamber from the seabed be supervised by LMCS so to ensure the integrity of the chamber in its original emergence state.
He also said that videos and photo footage will be conducted.
On Monday, the family members who expressed interest in speaking at CoE will be given their opportunity.
On Wednesday, attorney Prakash Ramadhar representing the families of Fyzal Kurban and Yusuf Henry will begin the closing statements segment of the Commission.
Senior counsel to the Commission, Ramesh Lawrence Maharaj will give the final closing statements apart from Lynch on Friday.
