More than 1,000 citizens will gain employment this Carnival season under the Government’s ‘Upkeep of Carnival Spaces’ Programme.
Speaking with the media on Friday, Minister of Rural Development and Local Government Khadijah Ameen said the Ministry will be working closely with representatives from the National Carnival Commission (NCC) to ensure the maintenance of Carnival venues, streets and parade routes not just within the Port of Spain area but across all 14 Municipal Corporations in the country.
“So the amounts per region vary depending on the Regional Carnival activities that they have scheduled. We have assigned the workers to the Municipal Corporations who will coordinate. Some of the corporations also are, in addition to supervising, providing additional equipment such as trucks for pickup of the garbage, water trucks to wash down the streets, and other forms of support.”
Beaches will also be a focal point.
“A lot of people go camping on the beach in the Toco and Matelot and Moruga areas and so on. We are prepared for that, so those teams are out there cleaning the beaches for the past two weeks and after the Ash Wednesday cooldown, for Ash Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, as well as the weekend after Carnival, these teams will be particularly focused on the beaches and the areas that you have cooldown activities.
The Minister is also encouraging members of the public to play their part in keeping our nation’s roads and Carnival venues clean.
“Really, people have to be mindful of their surroundings, look for garbage bags, carry home your garbage, but you know, people are so focused on enjoyment that they don’t remember to be mindful of the environment and not throw away their bottles and things.”
On Friday, the Minister visited three areas in Port of Spain: Adam Smith Square, the Hasely Crawford Stadium and Memorial Park, where clean-up operations have already begun.