Padarath: Questions Safety and Structural Integrity of Lara Stadium
MP for Princes Town, Barry Padarath is calling on the Government to state whether the recently refurbished Brian Lara Stadium has met international safety standards and has addressed the findings of the Mc Caffrey report and the Uff commission of inquiry report and is now secure for public use.
Padarath noted that the Rowley-led administration has been silent on what work has been done to address the significant and hazardous structural defects which were identified by construction expert Gerry McCaffrey in 2009. Mc Caffrey indicated that on two separate occasions independent testing was done to the welds on the stadium and failed the required standard. Further the issue regarding the structural steelwork which was identified as “effectively condemned “ in the Uff report has not been addressed and ventilated in the public domain with respect to what measures have been put in place to remedy this issue.
In yet another attempt to distract from the important issue of safety, the Government announced a celebrity match to mark the opening of the refurbished stadium, but citizens remain in the dark as to whether the venue has met internationally accepted standards for public safety,” Padarath said.
“I am extremely concerned that failure to ensure that the requisite safety standards are met can place the lives of children and adults at risk.” “We have been told that the refurbishment work was done at a cost of approximately $90 million, but apart from cosmetic touches, the Government has not stated whether the relevant assessments (including structural and tests on the steel, welding concrete, electrical and plumbing, etc.), were done to identify potential issues.
Padarath noted that under the People’s Partnership Government, a comprehensive assessment of the facility was undertaken in which significant structural, drainage and design flaws were reportedly identified. “Given that as many as 15,000 lives could be at risk at the highly-publicised match on May 13, 2017, I call on the Government to make public all relevant documentation from reputable agencies that the stadium and the grounds were assessed and deemed safe and fit for public use.