A deliberate act of sabotage has led to an oil spill in the Barrackpore area.
Minister of Energy and Energy Industries Dr Roodal Moonilal expressed outrage as he related the incident on Tuesday.
“This morning we have had a situation in the Barrackpore area where we have had a leakage, an oil leakage, on a particular province operated by a private operator but working with Heritage. And it has been reported to the police as a matter of sabotage where apparently elements have invaded the facility, and they destroyed the pipeline with the intention, of course, of stealing significant lengths of pipe.”
The Energy Minister noted that all the related State agencies were already in the field working on the clean-up operations to protect the environment, livestock, crops and private property.
“In GP Road, I believe, and Heritage is now working with all the agencies to do a clean-up operation and I expect that we will have a further report later, and I expect to visit the affected area as well in a very short time.”
Minister Moonilal denounced the act of sabotage and theft which led to the pipeline infrastructure being stolen.
“I want to condemn that act of vandalism and theft that has now reached the stage where individuals are stealing the pipeline infrastructure and we will work with Heritage to ensure that they upgrade and heighten and expand our security capacity in the oilfield.”
The Energy Minister added that he would work to increase the security for those oilfields and installations.
“The former government also decreased and reduced and contracted the size of our security departments and our security capacity, and that has led in a way so that the estates and the oilfield roads and infrastructure have not been protected as it should be, and that is something that we have to look seriously at.”
The Minister speculated that the theft and vandalism may be the work of organised crime as the thefts have affected other State agencies including TSTT and T&TEC.