PORT of Spain Mayor Louis Lee Sing said yesterday although laws banning the use of glass bottles over the Carnival weekend in Port of Spain had not yet come into effect by Carnival Monday they will.

At a press conference yesterday at City Hall, Port of Spain, Lee Sing also responded to those who objected to his proposal, stating that during most bottle fights, almost 90 per cent of the time it was the innocent bystander that got injured, pointing out that last week Friday a bottle fight along Ariapita Avenue left one man severely injured.

"I am optimistic that there will be legislation in place," he said.

"In fact I hope a beer company can stand up to the scrutiny when someone is killed by one of their bottles," he said.

He added: "I took my time to take this decision and I will accept the burdens of my responsibility because in this regard I don't only serve the burgess of Port of Spain but all of Trinidad and Tobago, and it is incumbent upon us to find the ways and means to have the safest Carnival.

"We are going to be doing our darndest to make sure weapons are not available to anyone wishing to cause trouble."

The mayor, however, not only spoke about the banning of bottles in the city during the Carnival days but he also wanted to announce a new initiative to have pan featured even more prominently for Carnival.

Come Jouvert morning, Ariapita Avenue, Woodbrook, Port of Spain will therefore be renamed "Bernie Mannette Avenue".

It is going to be closed off to music trucks and handed over to the pan fraternity because, according to Lee Sing, "we need to do what is necessary to take care of our steelbands".

He announced a competition for large, medium and small pan bands where the top prize will be $30,000 for the large bands.

"This is our national instrument and it should be given some level of pride and we simply decided to make a space for pan," he said.