4 days ago
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Senior Reporter
The Government is assuring the national community that Carnival festivities will not be disrupted despite new restrictions on events at certain Udecott-managed venues located in residential areas.
Minister in the Office of the Prime Minister Barry Padarath says consultations will soon begin with Carnival stakeholders and event promoters following recent concerns raised about venue restrictions.
Speaking to Guardian Media a day after Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar announced the immediate ban on Carnival fetes at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy, which prompted strong condemnation from the Promoters Association — which said the move would be a “death knell” to Carnival — Padarath said there was no crisis.
He said alternative locations will be identified and made available.
“Carnival will not suffer,” Padarath declared. “We will work with promoters to identify alternative spaces. There must be zones that allow celebrations to continue without interfering with people’s rest and comfort.”
“It’s really a storm in a teacup being created by some,” Padarath said.
Padarath maintained that the Government is committed to preserving the full Carnival experience while also responding to long-standing complaints from residents across the country.
Beyond the noise, the minister revealed that financial and maintenance considerations also influenced the policy shift. He said many state facilities used for major events have been suffering heavy wear and tear without generating sufficient revenue to justify the damage.
“Sometimes one outweighs the other; you receive less revenue, but you end up spending more to repair the facility based on the usage and the damage that would have been done.
“There must be a policy for the usage of sport facilities, in particular government facilities,” Padarath said.
Padarath also noted that the Prime Minister’s comments reflect a position the Government campaigned on, centred on harmonising policy, legislation, and enforcement. He confirmed that the Attorney General is reviewing outdated Environmental Management Authority noise regulations, including decibel limits, to modernise the framework.
Meanwhile, Woodbrook residents, who have complained bitterly for years about the impact Carnival events have on them and their properties, are relieved that the Government is finally taking steps to protect communities that have endured years of excessive noise during Carnival and major entertainment events.
Resident Michael Wildman, who has lived in the area his entire life, said, “To tell you the God honest truth, it’s a very good idea because it’s kind of overbearing now,” Wildman said. “You have a lot of old folks living around here that really can’t take it.”
“I find it’s time to stop that because, according to where the fetes are, you have the nursing home right there by the Oval. It’s bearing on the animals, not only on the human.”
Lifelong resident and former member of the Woodbrook Residents Committee, Lynette Dolly, said the decision on stricter noise management has brought a sense of long-awaited relief to a community that has been “suffering for years.”
Dolly has spent two decades advocating for enforcement.
“At last, we have been trying to work with the fete promoters and all the other various groupings. Some of them listened, and some of them have not. So, the Prime Minister had to take a stand and say, ‘Shut down.’ And now suddenly they want to talk.”
Dolly said residents have held countless meetings with the NCC, police, and the EMA not just on fetes but also on the noise from bards, to no avail.
Another resident, Ramona Guishard, has applauded the decision.
“I think the Prime Minister is doing a fantastic job because nobody had the guts to stand up and do what she’s doing,” Guishard said. “Before this Soca Drome came in, the neighbourhood was fine. Now all these Carnival bands come blasting music, shaking our houses, destroying our properties. No one did anything.”
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