Air travel between TT and India is expected to improve through an agreement between Caribbean Airlines and Air India.
This plan came about during a meeting on Tuesday between Works and Transport (MoWT) Minister Jack Warner and India’s High Commissioner to TT His Excellency Malay Mishra and Second Secretary Mahavir Bhardwaj at the Ministry, Port-of-Spain.
In a release, the MoWT said Warner recommended the bilaterial air service agreement and Mishra responded the Ministry would have his cooperation for it to be finalised.
According to the release, Mishra said when the agreement is reached passengers would travel from Trinidad to New York on Caribbean Airlines and then get a connecting flight to Mumbai or Dehli. Their luggage would go straight from Trinidad to India.
During the meeting, Mishra offered support to TT in the areas of agriculture, health care, food production and infrastructure.
He advised Warner of the Prime Minister’s Rural Development Project in India which dealt exclusively with rural development. This was of interest to Warner who spoke of the neglect of rural areas such as Siparia, Naparima, Barrackpore, Mamoral where no work was done on roads, bridges and drains. Warner hoped that TT could benefit from India’s knowledge and expertise to assist TT with flooding problems.
Mishra said his government was willing to assist the engineers of the Works Ministry and scholarships were being offered for engineers to be trained at the highest level so training and technology can be transferred.
The High Commissioner asked for a work plan to which Warner promised to have one prepared and dispatched next week.
At the meeting Warner disclosed that he would take legislation to parliament to deal with littering. It will put the responsibility on citizens to clean the drains and roadways in front their homes and business places. The legislation was promoted by the clogging of rivers and drains which result in severe flooding in parts of TT.