In this interview, Minister of Rural Development and Local Government, The Hon. Khadijah Ameen, discusses the nationwide clean-up exercise carried out under the National Programme for the Upkeep of Public Spaces, which deployed more than one thousand workers across all fourteen municipal corporations.
The Minister explains the strategy behind mobilising teams as early as midnight, the coordination efforts that led to rapid results in Port of Spain, and how operations were structured throughout the country. She also highlights the programme’s role in providing short-term employment and supporting communities, while outlining the next phase of intensified clean-up efforts as attention shifts to beaches and recreational areas following the Ash Wednesday cool-down period.