“Collapse of West Basseterre By-Pass Bridge a result of gross negligence”…says Grant Calls for genuinely independent in-depth investigation

By Stanford Conway
Editor-in-Chief-SKNVibes.com

Political Leader of the People’s Action Movement – Lindsay Grant

“The collapse of that bridge was not an accident, as the Hon. Asim Martin is attempting to frame it. It is in fact the result of gross negligence on the part of persons responsible for the design and construction of the bridge,” he said.

Grant was at the time addressing members of the media at the PAM’s Press Conference held today, May 19, at the Ocean Terrace Inn.

He intimated that the collapsing of the bridge, which resulted in the death of 64-year-old Allick Toney, a native of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, and injuries to Guyanese nationals Mortland Watterton and Ian ‘Shatta’ Warde, is a national outrage that demands immediate and unfettered police investigation.

“It also warrants immediate, genuinely independent and in-depth investigation of all the circumstances related to the particular incident and into the entire West Basseterre By-Pass Project, which includes four other bridges,” Grant said.

The Political Leader stressed that though the incident has brought the integrity of the design and construction of the entire Project into question, “the government has given no indication that it intends to seriously probe this issue”.

“Quite to the contrary,” he added, “the government’s intentions, as declared by the Minister responsible for Public Works at last Thursday’s sitting of the National Assembly are inadequate, inappropriate and unacceptable.
“Equally unacceptable, and indeed quite reprehensible, is the Hon. Asim Martin’s blatant attempt to shut out public discussion of the collapse of the bridge and the death of Akil Tony.”    ~~Adz:Right~~

He noted that Minister Martin said a team of engineers was dispatched to St. Kitts to conduct an in-depth investigation and file a comprehensive report on the incident.

Grant is of the view that there would be no independence with the engineers combining their force with the Public Works Department and the Project’s Coordinator Murchison Best, a former Director of the Public Works Department, that Minister Martin said would conduct an independent investigation.

“What the Denzil Douglas Administration has concocted is nothing more than a recipe for a cover-up,” he said.
Grant declared that unlike Minister Martin’s gratuitous attack on unnamed persons whom he claimed wanted to play politics with the incident, he does not see it that way but as “a tragedy of immense proportions”.

He also recalled statements made by the Minister of Works concerning the government’s construction of the Kim Collins Highway and also the heaps of applications received from business firms requesting large amounts of land along the By-Pass Road under construction.

“The revelation of heaps of applications for large amounts of land along the Basseterre West By-Pass immediately raises loud alarm bells in a country still shocked by Dr. Douglas’s handling of large amounts of land at Kittitian Hill and 500 acres immediately adjacent to those close to 400 acres, and hundreds of acres of land at La Valley,” Grant said.

The PAM’s Leader declared that Don Blackman, whom he claimed is Prime Minister Douglas’ favoured contractor/operator on government’s mega projects, is the central figure in the infamous La Valley land deal.
“He is also the central figure in Professional Technologies, PROTEC, the company registered in Anguilla that has landed so many lucrative government deals here in St. Kitts,” he said.

~~Adz:Right~~ Grant stressed that if the Prime Minister respects the people of the Federation he must immediately call on the Governor General to appoint a commission of inquiry drawn from suitably qualified persons outside of CARICOM to secure independence in the inquiry.

He however quickly pointed out that his choice of members comprising the commission was not because of the lack of expertise within the Federation or the Caribbean region, “but to ensure transparency in the inquiry”.

This, he said, would avoid thee well-known interlocks and networking among those prominent professionals from various fields, who appear to have irons in the fire throughout the region.

Grant opined that citizens must join voices in rejecting a government cover-up and demand a full commission of inquiry into the West Basseterre By-Pass Bridge disaster.

He also said that the Press Confference was not aimed at casting blames or aspersions but "to ensure that the general public at large is engaged in this matter. That there is a full, frank and complete inquiry on this matter and that at the end of the process a full report would be disclosed to the general public, because it is all of us who will, at some point or other, use the services of the West Basseterre By-Pass Project and we must ensure that that bridge is fit for use by not only the general public in St. Kitts and Nevis but all who will traverse the road in the near future".

On Wednesday, May 14 at about 11:30 a.m., SKNVibes received information that the structure upon which concrete was poured for the construction of a 50-foot wide bridge at the West Basseterre By-Pass Road in the vicinity of the airport had collapsed.

On arrival, the lifeless body of Allick Toney was seen atop a portion of concrete while Watterton and Warde were ambulance-driven to the JNF General Hospital for diagnoses and treatment to their injuries.

Warde has since been discharged from the hospital while Watterton is still being treated at the institution.

On Saturday, last, Dr. Debrock performed an autopsy on the body of Toney and found that death was due to traumatic shock and asphyxia, as a result of being buried in concrete.

Information reaching this media house states that two of Allick Toney’s daughters have arrived on St. Kitts and he is scheduled to be buried tomorrow afternoon [Tuesday] at the Springfield Cemetery.