– gov’t team hears
Residents of Mahaica, East Coast Demerara were urged to clean their surroundings to facilitate road works, when a team of government officials visited the area last Friday.
According to the Government Information Agency (GINA), PPP General Secretary Donald Ramotar led the team that included Transport and Hydraulics Minister Robeson Benn and Local and Regional Development Minister Kellawan Lall, who discussed several issues with residents, including roads, bridges, drainage and the use of government reserves.
GINA reported that at Belmont, Mahaica, a resident complained that the area would experience flooding whenever the main canal is inundated from the Mahaica Creek or as a result of spring tides. Another resident lamented that the Neighbourhood Democratic council (NDC) did not supply the community with a list of roads being constructed in the area.
Benn informed that as part of standing procedure, the NDC and the Regional Democratic council (RDC) are given bills of quantities so that they can supervise and critique ongoing works. Benn stated that residents must clean their drains and clear the reserves in order to allow for the smooth completion of road works. Ramotar stated that most of the drains in the area were clogged and he noted that some persons have constructed fences and bridges in the path of water ways.
According to GINA, Ramotar said he observed that the irrigation canal had eroded severely and he was informed by residents that it was as a result of children using the area as a swimming pool. A dry, weed-filled canal in the area was level with the road, GINA stated.
As regards roads, Works Supervisor Khiraj Bisesar referred to details on four roads currently under construction in the Belmont area. The team was given a first-hand look at work in progress. The team also interacted with officials of the company undertaking the work, H Nauth and Sons Civil Engineering Construction.
Residents explained that 5,000 truck loads of loam were being transported via the main roadway to fill a swamp in another area earmarked for a housing project, GINA said, while Benn commented that the tonnage of the trucks were way beyond stipulation given the state of the main road. Benn instructed that the operators either utilise smaller trucks or reduce the load by 50%. Several trucks which were traversing the area at the time were required to off-load half of their load, GINA stated.
Benn explained that the main road would be renovated under another work programme, and should the current situation continue, the estimates for that project may double. “The same value-added tax (VAT) that some people object to paying is what we use to build roads. So if you find it hard to pay and you see how high it costs to make a road then you must protect your roads,” Benn stated.
