What are some of the issues of concern you face in your area? We asked several residents of Bartica this question and here are their responses.
Oswald Hudson – Unemployed
‘There are so many. There is a drainage problem. The drains are clogged. The Administration facilities and garbage is a problem too. The roads are not bad but it is too narrow for the amount of vehicles there are now. Pedestrians have to get in the grass when the vehicles pass. Also, sometimes there is no water in the tap. Crime is under control now. However, there are a lot of animals on the road which creates a nuisance. This area is a speeding area for drivers and they drive with no regard for schoolchildren.’
Raymond Rupnarine – Salesman
‘Junkies in the arcade make a lot of noise and they curse up. Many of them are not Barticians. There is also an issue with the garbage. People are throwing it all over the place. Also, the police sometimes harass people, I have seen it. There are also some reckless taxi drivers’.
Jade Huggins – Student
‘Sometimes there is a water shortage and when you go to do your chores, there is no water. It makes you late for school or work. And at nights you can’t bathe in the river. At least I won’t go and bathe in the river at night. Also there are too much stray dogs.’
Khalil Khan – Butcher
‘Sports is dying in Bartica. We need great assistance from the minister or the government. Otherwise business is okay. We have a lot of Brazilians and they spend a lot of money. They are the people who have all the business of Bartica. They are the people of the day. Also, the roads need to be widened a little more. The vehicles cannot pass each other at the same time.’
Roshowne Cumberbatch – Vendor
‘Right now I am living at Four Miles Housing Scheme and since before I move in, I heard that they were supposed to put in electricity. Now I see the post there but they are not planting them. I am living there for over a year and up to now there are no lights. The roads there are in a bad condition. They keep doing it and doing it but I don’t know what they are doing because it is turning into a swimming pool. They also run pipes through your yard but you don’t get water. I get water from the rain or else you have to pay somebody to transport water. The trenches in Bartica are also filled with bottles. There should be a way to get rid of the plastic bottles. Some sort of recycling.’
Stella Adams – Self-employed
‘The clogged drains are a problem. Because of that, when it rains, the place starts flooding. It does not really flood here but because the drains are not kept clean, the water does not move off as fast, especially when it rains heavily. There should be some form of recycling so people can dispose of bottles in a better way. Also the road going to the Three Miles School, they look after it sometimes but after heavy rain, it goes back to square one. They should complete it properly, even if it is a small piece at a time. Do it well; this is how I would have done it. The roads are too narrow too and the vehicle population has increased tremendously. Every time the steamer comes, the vehicles come but on the roads, they can’t pass at the same time. One would have to stop to allow the other to pass. Sometimes the electricity is off, but there is not much of a blackout situation. The crime rate has dropped but loud music is a nuisance. The music may be playing at First Avenue but it affects you up to Seventh Avenue, the entire Bartica. They have Banks promotion popping up at every different area and there is big music’.
Angela Barker – vendor
‘What we face here in Bartica is a waste problem. Also, when you wake up in the morning and open the tap there is no water. It happens regularly and the company also comes with a big bill and you don’t use that amount of water. Also, at times there are blackouts and your appliances get damaged. About the roads, they are very, very narrow and two vehicles can’t pass at the same time. The drivers are speeding too and you want to know if they are on the highway. We have stop signs but they speed through it. I think there should be speed bumps. There are also some reckless goats that bother me. When you put out your produce, they pull it down and eat it out and you wonder where are the owners for them’.
Carmaleta Thomas – Self-employed:
‘My radio set was seized on November 7, 2008 and in January I took out a licence but now it seems as though no one could give me an account of where the radio is. I have been calling Dr. Roger Luncheon office, sending letters and they said they received the letter but nothing has happened since. They should have a licensing office here. Every time you call them, they say that they have not made a decision yet. Also two years ago, on 7th February, 2007, I bought some fuel from a man but I did not know it was contaminated. When I reported the matter to the Bartica police station, I received no justice. No justice was given to me because no one inquired and I reported the matter to Georgetown but nothing happened. There is also a problem with water. The charges on the water bill keep rising. Even though you pay, when you get the next bill, the amount of money you have to pay increases triple times. The people at the Bartica office say it comes from the Head office and there is nothing they could do.’
David Abrams – Handyman
‘The roads where I live at the West Indian Housing Scheme are bad and no vehicles can go in there. There is also no electricity there and the infrastructure for this is not there. I have children studying for CXC and they have to use a flambeau. We also have a water shortage and sometimes when it comes you cannot use it because the colour of the water is very nasty.’
Gordon Bradford – Community Worker
‘For me, I have concerns about the lack of cultural activities, the lack of recreational activities and sports in general. At the school level there is nothing happening really in relation to sports. For us to bring out a rounded development in our young people sports, recreation and cultural activities is a vital component when it comes to human development. Right now that is so sadly lacking in Bartica. These things are sadly lacking in this community. Among us we have a lot of potential Chanderpauls, Sarwans, Ronaldos but the opportunity is just not there to bring to the fore the talent that these young people possess. The lack of such facilities is what the regional administration and the government need to take a serious view of. In the past Bartica was a force to be reckoned with in any sports discipline. Today it is almost non-existent.’