Newly refurbished parliament building leaking

PORT OF SPAIN (CMC):

Less than 72 hours after the grand reopening of the multimillion-dollar refurbished parliament building, heavy rains have exposed some flaws in the facility.

The Urban Development Corporation of Trinidad and Tobago Limited (UDeCOTT) said a broken rubber seal on the aluminium flashing in the skylight over the rotunda was responsible for the leak.

UDeCOTT said the matter is being rectified by the contractor, as it falls within the defects liability period of one year and will be repaired at no additional cost to taxpayers.

The Red House, as the parliament building is known, was reopened on Friday, after the renovation work had been completed at a cost of TT$441 million (1 TT dollar=US$0.16 cents).

Photos of cardboard laid out on the floor of the rotunda were shared on social media and one political activist, Phillip Edward Alexander, criticised the leak, asking how many more millions would be needed to “make a roof work like a roof”.

Alexander, along with a group of people, had protested outside the Red House last Friday, noting that almost half a billion dollars had been spent on restoration works, but the roof appeared to be “still rusting”.