Oh, rats!

From the Trinidad Express, Wednesday, May 9th 2007 (Paraphrased)

A company that submitted a $21 million report containing a "number of deficiencies" has been awarded a second contract for $37 million to take another look at the country's transport problems.

Government said it was not satisfied with the report submitted by Parsons Brinckerhoff, the firm contracted to do the Comprehensive National Transportation Study (CNTS), but has since given the same company the $37 million Mass Transit Study.

"We are not satisfied and, in fact, the Ministry met with the consultants very recently and reiterated our dissatisfaction with their performance in terms of the fulfilment of obligations under the contract and we have given them a final deadline to correct these deficiencies," said Transport Minister Colm Imbert.

Imbert said that Parsons Brinckerhoff submitted its final report in November 2006 and technical officers of the project implementation unit for the CNTS undertook a detailed evaluation of the report.

In December, that unit advised that the report contained "a number of deficiencies based on the terms of reference and scope of work", said Imbert.

Imbert said that the contract for the CNTS was for $21 million, of which approximately $10 million had been paid.

The second study contracted to Parsons Brinckerhoff-The Mass Transit Study-is worth $37 million to be conducted in three phases.

Of this amount, Imbert said some $5.5 million had, so far, been paid to Parsons Brinckerhoff.
He said the final costs for both studies were not available.
It was only last October that Government terminated Parsons Brinckerhoff, which was contracted to evaluate bids on the $1 billion rapid rail system.

This came after it was revealed there was a conflict of interest between Parsons Brinckerhoff and Bombardier, which had also submitted a bid for the Trinidad rapid rail project.

So, Mister Imbert, imagine that you give a man a work to do. The work he does "contains a number of deficiencies", translated: it was total and utter caca, yet still you give this man MORE of your money? A $21 million dollar piece of rubbish was submitted, yet still you give them ANOTHER contract for $37 million? Something not right here. Wait. I seeing a familiar name. Hmm.. Bombardier. That is not the same company that give dear old Patrick Manning a ride in their executive plane? The company that spawned rumours that Mr Manning was looking to buy a Bombardier jet? ( Something that he deny). So this same Parsons Brinckerhoff , that associated with Bombardier get a contract to do a mass transit study, right after messing up a national transportation study? Hmmm....I smelling a rat here.

Speaking of rats: From the Express of the same day:

A massive clean-up at Chaguanas and its suburbs has begun, following complaints by residents that there was an unusual number of rats roaming the area.
Mayor Suruj Rambachan said yesterday the Chaguanas Borough Corporation had taken the reports seriously and "we have started a clean-up of areas in Lange Park to rid the area of rodents".
"We expect householders to do their bit by keeping their premises clean. They should desist from throwing discarded food in open drains because this encourages rats to live there," Rambachan said.
Dr Agenath Misir, who runs the Insect Vector Division of the Ministry of Health, said the division had stepped up its rodent control campaign throughout the country and advised homeowners to report the presence of rats in their area.
Misir said rats should not be encouraged as pets. "They are dangerous rodents that cause leptospirosis, which is a deadly disease."

So the same people that dumping their rubbish all in the drains and keeping the place nasty complaining now about rats. Blame the government again for your dirty behaviour. Pelt fridge and stove in the river then complain when it flood. Throw your doubles paper in the drain and leave your Carib bottle by the side of the road. Is the government fault for not picking it up of course, so anything bad that happen is not your fault.

Well admittedly it might not be everybody doing this nonsense, but is the few nasty ones that make things bad for everyone.

And what is this about keeping rats as pets? WTF is that?

Methinks there may be an outbreak of rats of the human sort.