“INFELICITIES” at the Barbados Licensing Authority (BLA) are being investigated.
Minister of Transport, Works and Maintenance Dr William Duguid, and Chief Licensing Officer Virgil Knight, were in the Well of the House of Assembly yesterday responding to questions raised by Member of Parliament for St Peter Colin Jordan, about rumoured malpractices at the BLA.
“There is the rumour that there may be infelicities at the Barbados Licensing Authority – people getting permits without going getting inspections done,” Jordan said during yesterday’s debate on the Estimates of Revenue and Expenditure.
“The people of Barbados are tired of these kinds of rumours and the perception of things that are happening that they feel should not be happening.
“If there is that suspicion, is there anything in this expenditure for computer software and professional services, that is intended to minimise the possibilities of persons making money by doing illegal things?” Jordan asked.
Duguid admitted that his ministry “continues to have problems . .
. with things of the nature that you [Jordan] are suggesting”, describing it as “a very vexing topic”.
“Let me say first, as is reported in the Press, we had a situation where some of our employees were syphoning off diesel and selling it to people from one of our trucks and it was caught . . . . Two of those people have been interdicted, one person [pleaded] guilty and will be sentenced in March.”
Duguid added that a decision had been made to install GPS locators “on all of our vehicles and we will have special systems on our diesel tanks.
“In fact, we have had problems with people getting into locked depots and stealing whole ‘Bobcats’, as alluded to by the Member for St Thomas [Cynthia Forde]. So we are aware that we have difficulty with theft, be it of diesel or even of equipment, and we are putting systems in place.”
Duguid also said that technology would soon be employed to address a “big scandal” associated with “rubbing off” the registration number from an engine and placing that engine in another vehicle.
Invited by the minister to speak on the matters raised by Jordan, Knight told the House: “Through the permanent secretary, we are working assiduously to stamp out all wrongdoings.
“We take all complaints seriously, we do our investigations and we will do whatever is necessary to eliminate this practice at the organisation.” ( GC)
