DE STAGE NOT GOOD AGAAAAAIIINNNN!! - UDECOTT

[Gladiator]

Obviously there would be a compromise..who's really surprised..

Is 'tourism'/marketing T&T etc..

No grease necessary...

Remember.....the stage has to be on the shoreline now...

Reasonable and predictable compromise..

Allyuh rel like to use grease for everything boy..mind allyuh ain rub some in de wrong place some day..

Grease comes in all forms.... just pass a 2 complimentary and yuh GT... building stage in the sea, in the river, in the highway....

[NR8]

Anybody know what portion of the beach this happening on? Was planning a Maracas run on Friday but wondering if it making sense now.

[Ben_spanna]

So supposedly juss like dat anyone whos supposedly a fete promoter can have a party anywhere , anytime without any approvals?
They supposedly went ahead with the infrastructure without any approvals from any agency , even the EMA didnt know anything about this is the story being portrayed?

[hong kong phooey]

Udecott halts stage construction at Maracas Bay

https://newsday.co.tt/2020/02/13/udecot ... racas-bay/

"The organisers are attempting to build a stage in the water. I am now getting wind of social media reaction to it so I am now getting briefed on it. We would have gotten approval from the (Port-of-Spain) City Corporation, but there are various approvals from the police, fire, the EMA (Environmental Management Authority), Commissioner of State Lands. We are still awaiting certification from the Coast Guard.

"The area was shown to Udecott as well and the understanding is that the stage needs to go up early so that it will settle properly. They said it needs three days to settle in the water, so if there is any movement it will give us time to break down and move it. The aim is not to have any issues when the event starts."

Sobion said it was the first time the group was attempting such a project.



hehehehe.... but get this right:

"The North Coast beach was the location for the Karukera One Love Festival, a collaboration between the government of Guadeloupe and TT. Karukera is a music festival from Guadeloupe that was created to connect all the Caribbean islands by showcasing the diversity of our music on a stage on the ocean."

i really feel th present gov't WANTS to come out of office inno....lol

Excuse sir
in future please do not create a name so close to "stage gone bad" you nearly give me a heart attack when i open this link and all the girls missing

[adnj]

Anybody know what portion of the beach this happening on? Was planning a Maracas run on Friday but wondering if it making sense now.

It's between the fishing village to the west and the life guard station to the east.

[matr1x]

An opportunity to wade in feaces while listening to feaces

[ruffneck_12]

Excuse sir
in future please do not create a name so close to "stage gone bad" you nearly give me a heart attack when i open this link and all the girls missing

for real

[Ben_spanna]

So are they continuing to erect whilst this issue is in limbo? or have they been ordered to stop as there are currently NO approvals?

[Rory Phoulorie]

Where's the OSH Authority in all of this? No PPE is visible at all. That violation alone should have shut down the work.

[VexXx Dogg]

https://trinidadexpress.com/news/local/ ... ium=social


‘Sea stage’ taken down
FEBRUARY 18, 2020

The controversial “sea stage” that was being constructed at Maracas Beach has been removed.

The Urban Development Corporation of Trinidad and Tobago (UDeCOTT) confirmed that the structure had been taken down yesterday morning by the promoters of the Karukera One Love Beach Festival.

Questions were raised last Friday about who authorised the festival promoters to construct the sea stage.

UDeCOTT said then that it had granted approval for the event to be hosted at the beach, but was against the location of the stage.

Chief Fire Officer Marlon Smith also said the promoters were given permission to host the event, but no such approval was granted for the stage in the sea.

And on Sunday Minister of Agriculture, Lands and Fisheries Clarence Rambharat said he had instructed the Commissioner of State Lands to deny the promoters permission to construct the structure on the seabed.

In a release yesterday, UDeCOTT communications manager Roxanne Stapleton-Whyms said steps are being taken by the event organisers to acquire all the necessary approvals which are mandatory for the dispatch of final approval. She said good sense had prevailed.

“UDeCOTT maintains that all events at its various venues are subject to receive all requisite statutory approvals deemed necessary which include approvals from the fire services, police, Environmental Management Authority and Commissioner of State Lands before final approval is granted by the corporation for events to take place,” she said.

‘Dangerously reckless’

However, environmental group Fishermen and Friends of the Sea (FFOS) said simply moving the stage is not enough and the event should not be allowed on the beach at all.

In a statement yesterday, Aboud commended Rambharat for intervening but said a beach is not a fete hall and should not be treated as such.

“This beach is a public recreational space and as part of our natural history lends itself to certain activities. A beach is not a fete hall and the idea that we are allowing our natural recreational public spaces to be used for massive fetes and other large-scale private events seems to us to be a misuse of our natural assets,” he said.

Aboud added that the North Coast Road is not designed for heavy traffic.

“North Coast communities are served by a slim, meandering, arterial road that already suffers from automotive congestion on any given weekend. When these extremely large fete events take place, without any oversight of the maximum carrying capacity of the beach or road, it becomes dangerously overcrowded and congested,” he said.

“Public safety should never be disregarded or threatened and in our respectful view we need to take a long, hard look at public safety. Any resident or attendee who has a medical emergency cannot get in or out and this is dangerously reckless. How many lifeguards will be posted and can they keep track of unknown thousands of drinking or zessed up attendees?” he said.

The environmentalist said the event would also add to pollution.

“When paints, powder, foam and other unnatural materials are used in these events, the beach remains heavily littered and the sand and the water are polluted. Is this responsible conduct for a beach with nesting turtles?”

Aboud called for public consultation on the use of public spaces for private events.

In a brief response to the Express yesterday Rambharat said he has done what he needed to do and environmental concerns are the remit of the Environmental Management Authority (EMA).

Efforts to reach EMA chairman Nadra Nathai-Gyan for comment yesterday were unsuccessful.

A government minister is in support of building the stage in the sea at Maracas Bay.

Minister in the Ministry of Education, Dr Lovell Francis, posted on Facebook yesterday:

“Guadeloupe has a history which basically says that the Caribbean is a backwater and that France is the centre of the universe. But there is a tremendous cultural shift happening there which is seeking to bridge an historical divide and establish closer cultural and economic linkages with the wider Caribbean. And that is how I ended up at the Karukera One Love Festival in Guadeloupe last year and I am glad that it is here this year. Much has been made of the previously planned construction of a stage in the sea which makes little practical sense. If built there would have been no issues. This festival has been held region wide and in France without problems and I think that Trinidad is on the same planet. But that has been settled.... and five hundred visitors are expected here for this event alone and I wish the organisers well not just for the event but the evolution of a longer-term relationship between us and Guadeloupe.”

[maj. tom]

KARUKERA ONE LOVE: BEHIND THE SCENES



http://politiques-publiques.com/guadelo ... -du-decor/


Monday in the sun ...that’s something we’ll never see… every time... it’s the same…




https://www.bondamanjak.com/le-lundi-au ... 1654761920

[Dizzy28]

We sent a Minister in the Ministry of Education to report on a fete in Guadeloupe??? Not our Tourism Minister, not our Culture minister and not even our Foreign Affairs Minister as Lovell's trip was deemed a "diplomatic" mission.

Francis speaks impressively well but continues to demonstrate he is nothing more than a show pony.

[maj. tom]

Is how Gary Aboud outlined very clearly all the reasons why such an event would not go well, from the traffic, to lifeguards, safety for the patrons and the environmental pollution to how the organizers never had any permission from a single entity....

...and the PNM Minister say nah, it was nice when he went Guadeloupe.

The promoters of Karukera One Love don't show the tourists those pics above, and you don't hear the residents of the Guadeloupe complaining about it the next Monday morning, as noted on the commentary on the source website. Everything always nice in sunny Caribbean islands.

[VexXx Dogg]

Is how Gary Aboud outlined very clearly all the reasons why such an event would not go well, from the traffic, to lifeguards, safety for the patrons and the environmental pollution to how the organizers never had any permission from a single entity....

...and the PNM Minister say nah, it was nice when he went Guadeloupe.

The promoters of Karukera One Love don't show the tourists those pics above, and you don't hear the residents of the Guadeloupe complaining about it the next Monday morning, as noted on the commentary on the source website. Everything always nice in sunny Caribbean islands.

first takeaway I got as well.
The honourable minister sounding like he had some skin in the game

[Dizzy28]

Is how Gary Aboud outlined very clearly all the reasons why such an event would not go well, from the traffic, to lifeguards, safety for the patrons and the environmental pollution to how the organizers never had any permission from a single entity....

...and the PNM Minister say nah, it was nice when he went Guadeloupe.

The promoters of Karukera One Love don't show the tourists those pics above, and you don't hear the residents of the Guadeloupe complaining about it the next Monday morning, as noted on the commentary on the source website. Everything always nice in sunny Caribbean islands.

first takeaway I got as well.
The honourable minister sounding like he had some skin in the game

Yip..essentially there's a huge conflict of interest there as Karukera paid for Francis's entire trip to Guadeloupe except per diem. He must big them up.
He has over the past few years not really shown to be an above board character though so no surprises really.

[ek4ever]

We sent a Minister in the Ministry of Education to report on a fete in Guadeloupe??? Not our Tourism Minister, not our Culture minister and not even our Foreign Affairs Minister as Lovell's trip was deemed a "diplomatic" mission.

Francis speaks impressively well but continues to demonstrate he is nothing more than a show pony.

Why are you surprised at this?

[bluefete]

Dr. Lovell Francis talking a load of rubbish. No wonder Garcia treats him like a school boy.

"If built, there would have been no issues." Sounds like he had some investment in this as others have commented.

No wonder there was bacchanal in the Cabinet.



Dr Lovell Francis responds to Guardian headline
by

BAVITA GOPAULCHAN
less than hour ago
Wed Feb 19 2020

Dr Lovell Francis says his Cabinet colleague made the right call concerning the festival, and now everyone can benefit

Min­is­ter in the Min­istry of Ed­u­ca­tion, Dr Lovell Fran­cis, is deny­ing any split in the Cab­i­net over the con­struc­tion of a stage in the sea, for the Karuk­era One Love Beach Fes­ti­val.

Ac­cord­ing to a Guardian Me­dia re­port which cites Cab­i­net notes, the min­is­ter met with Karuk­era or­ga­niz­ers back in 2018, while on an of­fi­cial trip to Guade­loupe.

How­ev­er, in re­sponse to the ar­ti­cle, Dr Fran­cis de­nies ever meet­ing with the or­ga­niz­ers.


He says last year, an ed­u­ca­tion trip to Guade­loupe mor­phed in­to a cul­tur­al ex­change and it was the first time he had ever gone to Karuk­era’s event. Pri­or to this, the min­is­ter says, he knew noth­ing about the event but saw a great tourism prod­uct for Trinidad and To­ba­go.

“I saw a prod­uct that could come to Trinidad and we would have some in­vest­ments here. But what I al­so saw was a coun­try that is yearn­ing for a stronger cul­tur­al and eco­nom­ic tie, which would be mu­tu­al­ly ben­e­fi­cial,” Min­is­ter Fran­cis ex­plains.

“So I thought per­haps this could come to Trinidad. They said they would be go­ing to Paris late last year, and they would con­sid­er com­ing here,” he re­vealed. “So I was aware of the idea of bring­ing the fes­ti­val here, and it’s not about a fete or a stage in wa­ter.”

Af­ter much pub­lic con­cern about the stage be­ing set up on Mara­cas Beach, Agri­cul­ture Min­is­ter Clarence Ramb­harat in­struct­ed the Com­mis­sion­er of State Lands to re­scind a Let­ter of Ap­proval. The or­ga­niz­ers have com­plied, and the stage is now be­ing set up on the shore­line.

Dr Fran­cis says he had no dis­agree­ment with Min­is­ter Ramb­harat over this mat­ter.

“Ac­tu­al­ly we spoke. There is no dis­agree­ment,” the min­is­ter re­ports. “If there is a pub­lic out­cry that be­comes a crescen­do, you are ob­lig­at­ed to step in and ex­er­cise some sort of au­thor­i­ty, and that is ex­act­ly what he did. It prompt­ed a dis­cus­sion, and now we have an agree­ment that is ben­e­fi­cial—and sat­is­fac­to­ry—to all sides.”

Dr Lovell Fran­cis says Min­is­ter Ramb­harat did the right thing.

https://guardian.co.tt/news/dr-lovell-f ... 8594134ce9

[pugboy]

as zoom on a ban I wanna suggest they have the fete down waterloo by temple in the sea
it more bonafide there

[ek4ever]

Ministry of Miscommunication saying Francis gone on an education exchange approved by Cabinet, but not saying anything about the trip being financed by Karukera

[rspann]

Is zoom somebody say? Zoom ,if yuh reading , yuh see how the Indians in the PNM have more rank? I always tell you that.

[bluefete]

Spannie: Yuh doing a good job flying de flag.

In both 2018 and 2019, Machel was in Guadeloupe.

Is zoom somebody say? Zoom ,if yuh reading , yuh see how the Indians in the PNM have more rank? I always tell you that.

[De Dragon]

Is how Gary Aboud outlined very clearly all the reasons why such an event would not go well, from the traffic, to lifeguards, safety for the patrons and the environmental pollution to how the organizers never had any permission from a single entity....

...and the PNM Minister say nah, it was nice when he went Guadeloupe.

The promoters of Karukera One Love don't show the tourists those pics above, and you don't hear the residents of the Guadeloupe complaining about it the next Monday morning, as noted on the commentary on the source website. Everything always nice in sunny Caribbean islands.

first takeaway I got as well.
The honourable minister sounding like he had some skin in the game

Yip..essentially there's a huge conflict of interest there as Karukera paid for Francis's entire trip to Guadeloupe except per diem. He must big them up.
He has over the past few years not really shown to be an above board character though so no surprises really.

Fack away Maracas and public safety because you got a comped trip to a fete? Sounds about right, and PNMish too.

[De Dragon]

:| Where's the OSH Authority in all of this? No PPE is visible at all. That violation alone should have shut down the work.

True, OSHA says if you're working over or near water where a drowning hazard exists, you must wear an approved life vest or suitable floatation device.

[bluefete]

More Bacchanal.

What did Govt know about this, and when?
Camille Hunte Feb 20, 2020 Updated 4 hrs ago
3 min to read
Camille Hunte



QUESTIONS surround Minister in the Ministry of Education Dr Lovell Francis’ 2018 visit to Guadeloupe where he met with the promoters of the Karukera One Love music festival—the group under scrutiny for building a stage in the sea at Mara­cas Bay.

Francis visited Guadeloupe from August 16-20, 2018, on the invitation of Thierry Reynaud, president of Karukera One Love Events.

But Communications Minister Donna Cox said yesterday the visit was an “education exchange”.

While there, Francis had an “unplanned meeting” with the festival organisers, she said.

Cox was responding to a Guar­dian report which claimed Gov­ern­ment knew two years ago about the plan to hold the con­cert in Trinidad and Tobago, with the construction of a stage in the sea.

The “sea stage” has been a contentious topic over the past few days after concerns were raised about the safety and environmental impact of the structure.

Questions over who approved the location of the stage resulted in Minister of Agriculture, Lands and Fisheries Clarence Rambharat instructing the Commissioner of State Lands to deny the promoters permission to construct the structure on the seabed.

The event will go on as planned tomorrow, with the stage now being set up on the shore.

Cox, in a statement, distanced the Government from the festival, saying Francis was not authorised by the Cabinet to engage in discussions with the organisers of the festival, despite Cabinet approving the visit on the invitation of Reynaud.

“He never negotiated for the event to come to Trinidad and Tobago on behalf of the Government,” Cox said. “Approval was sought and given to the Minister of State in the Ministry of Education, Dr the Honourable Lovell Francis, to tra­vel to Guadeloupe on official Government business for an education exchange.

“Dr Francis was not on a fact-­finding mission for the festival on behalf of the GoRTT, nor did he make any commitments to the promoters on behalf of the Government. There was an unplanned, informal meeting with organisers during his visit to Guadeloupe.”

A formal letter of invitation to Francis dated June 20, 2018, from the festival organisers said the festival would be promoting T&T and was aiming to strengthen the co-operation links between this country and Guadeloupe.

Karukera funded the cost of Francis’ visit.

Cabinet approval had been sought for Francis to attend a “diplomatic mission” to Guadeloupe, and he was given a $5,474 per diem.

Cox did not disclose at what point Karukera expressed interest in holding the festival in T&T, but said the Government granted no approval for a fete to be held in the sea.

She said at no time did the festival organisers indicate their intention to build a stage in the sea, and all statutory bodies which were approached for the requisite appro­vals were not informed about the location of the stage.

However, a promotional brochure sent to various ministries made the company’s intention to construct a sea stage clear.

It was the main selling point of the event.

“For this edition in Trinidad and Tobago, we will build the one of a kind stage in the ocean. This is the only festival in the world that has this state of the art stage where artists from all over the Caribbean are performing over sea water,” the brochure said.

Several photos showing previous events with the sea stage were included.

‘Sea stage not disclosed’

Cox however maintained the sea stage was not disclosed by the promoters of the event.

“The Environmental Management Authority (EMA) reported that the promoters initially approached the authority for a noise variation,” she said.

The EMA only became aware of the location of the stage via news reports, she added.

“Furthermore, the Urban Devel­opment Corporation of Trinidad and Tobago (UDeCOTT) confirmed that the agency received an application from the promoters to host the event, with no mention of a stage being built in the sea.

“UdeCOTT granted an approval, with the caveat that the promoters apply and receive permission from the other regulatory bodies such as the EMA, Commissioner of State Lands, the Trinidad and Tobago Fire Service, among others.

“The EMA subsequently wrote to UDeCOTT informing them that the promoters needed a certificate of environmental clearance because the establishment of such a structure may have associated environmental, as well as health and safety risks, and as such should only be constructed in the appropriate environment and in accordance with the requirements of the EMA Act, rules and other existing national laws. That certificate was never granted by the EMA.”

The festival promoters were subsequently informed that they could not build a stage in the sea.

Cox insisted Francis did not negotiate for the festival to come to T&T on behalf of the Government and said the Cabinet did not attempt to bypass any of the State institutions empowered to give approvals for events held in Trinidad and Tobago.

She said the safety of citizens was the Government’s primary concern.

More than a sea stage

Francis also took to social media yesterday to deny the trip to Guadeloupe was a “fact-finding mission”.

He said the issue was much more than a stage in the sea.

“What is primarily at stake are longer term cultural and economic ties between two territories that though relatively close were historically conditioned to have little connection or relation with each other,” he wrote. “What is also significant is the kind of linkages and developmental paths that will allow us to become the kind of diversified economy required to ensure a sustainable future.”

Efforts to contact Francis yesterday were unsuccessful as calls to his cellphone went unanswered.

https://trinidadexpress.com/newsextra/w ... fa790.html

[Dizzy28]

[Redman]

KARUKERA ONE LOVE: BEHIND THE SCENES



http://politiques-publiques.com/guadelo ... -du-decor/


Monday in the sun ...that’s something we’ll never see… every time... it’s the same…




https://www.bondamanjak.com/le-lundi-au ... 1654761920

Looks like many local beaches after a long weekend.

Every location looks like crap after a big gathering and before clean up.

Every Carnival the field in my area is the location for a fete
It looks like crap the few days after....until the clean up is done.
Yeah there is noise parking traffic etc......but its the largest single check the committee receives.
Which is a massive help to maintainence for the other 51 weeks of the year when all the complainers enjoy the spot.

[De Dragon]

^^^
If any PNM Minister, more likely if its a man. sheit on your bed, I suspect you would have a justification and excuse for it as well.

[rebound]

^^^
If any PNM Minister, more likely if its a man. sheit on your bed, I suspect you would have a justification and excuse for it as well.

[Gladiator]

Redman...the lone PNM Avenger....balisier power to you

KARUKERA ONE LOVE: BEHIND THE SCENES



http://politiques-publiques.com/guadelo ... -du-decor/


Monday in the sun ...that’s something we’ll never see… every time... it’s the same…




https://www.bondamanjak.com/le-lundi-au ... 1654761920

Looks like many local beaches after a long weekend.

Every location looks like crap after a big gathering and before clean up.

Every Carnival the field in my area is the location for a fete
It looks like crap the few days after....until the clean up is done.
Yeah there is noise parking traffic etc......but its the largest single check the committee receives.
Which is a massive help to maintainence for the other 51 weeks of the year when all the complainers enjoy the spot.

[De Dragon]

Even JUHN Scarfy said it was "mishandled". Mind you, it is simply being shifted to the beach, so the stinkness and pollution that we see in those pics, is going to take place. I guess Francis will still get his reward from his freeco trip, well not freeco, because it cost us money