Prime Minister Gaston Browne says he has directed Public Works to acquire vehicles to transport heavy machinery following concerns that equipment left at work sites was vulnerable to vandalism.
The commitment came during Saturday’s Browne and Browne Show, when a caller urged the government to provide transport so machinery could be returned to secure locations after work.
Browne initially questioned whether Public Works already had a rig available, then said he would instruct the department to address the issue.
“I will instruct them next week to deal with that,” he said.
As the discussion continued, Browne said he was contacting the director directly.
“I’m messaging him now to ask him to acquire a couple of rigs,” he said, subsequently referring to flatbeds as well.
The caller argued that purchasing road equipment needed to be accompanied by arrangements to move and safeguard it, rather than leaving machinery exposed overnight.
The exchange followed an earlier discussion about damage to a piece of road equipment, described during the programme as a roller.
Browne condemned the vandalism and questioned why anyone would damage machinery being used to improve the country’s infrastructure.
“We’re trying our best to lift the country, and you have people who want to vandalize,” he said.
He did not identify who was responsible or establish a motive. While discussing possible explanations, Browne said he was not asserting that the damage was politically motivated.
The prime minister also raised concerns about damage to other public assets, including sports facilities and fencing, and appealed for residents to take greater care of community infrastructure.
No purchase price, supplier or delivery date was announced for the proposed transport vehicles. Browne also did not specify where machinery would be secured after being removed from work sites.
This article was originally published by Antigua News Room. Read the original article here: Antigua and Barbuda PM directs Public Works to acquire transport vehicles for heavy equipment.