Dear Editor,
I recently had to go to the Licence Office on Smyth Street to conduct a transaction, and the general environment of this building is unbelievably poor and unhealthy. Its mode of operation is also abysmal. In this day and age, it is implausible that GRA, one of the richest organisations in Guyana, could have an office that is so poorly operated and outdated. Simply put, Mr Kurshid Sattaur should be ashamed of the service which his organisation provides at this office.
I arrived at the Licence Office at around 1.30pm and enquired at the front desk about where to go to have my driver’s licence renewed. I was told to go to the back of the building. There I encountered throngs of people, in excess of one hundred persons, all crammed together in a small, dirty space hemmed in by old, dilpaidated buildings with years of dust and rust collected on them. Anyone who came into contact with these buildings was guaranteed to have soiled clothes and hands, and who knows what kind of germs.
There were three rows of people jostling for space along a wooden step and a small verandah awaiting their turn to get into the building to conduct their business. There was very little room to manoeuvre and, hemmed in by the old buildings, it created a very claustrophobic environment. All of this was done under a partial roof which did little to protect the waiting customers from the elements, which happened to be the scorching sun on that day.
Not certain which line was for what transaction, I simply joined one which looked the shortest and awaited my turn. I looked all around for signs to offer me guidance on how to proceed, but none could be seen. After standing in line for a while and sweating profusely from the sweltering heat and enclosed environment, an officer in uniform came out of the closed doors at the top of the stairs and started barking out instructions. Most of it was indecipherable so I pushed and shoved my way to the top of the line until I reached the verandah and was able to speak to the officer. When I told her of my transaction she barked, “Do you have a number?” to which I replied in the negative. She then said, “Well you have to come back another day because we’re closed for the day.”
Now here I was, one hour after the lunch break being told that the line had closed for the day. Sensing the futility in even arguing about the whole situation I departed, dreading the next day when I would have to return again to complete my transaction.
Early the following morning I mentally prepared myself for the upcoming unpleasant experience of returning to the Licence Office and was able to get into the line by 8.15. There was already a large crowd gathered.
Within a few minutes the uniformed officer came out of the building and started sharing numbers. I received one this time so I was certain that I was going to complete my transaction. Little did I know that I had made the line in the nick of time for I was the last person to receive a number for the morning session.
As I stood in the line and patiently waited to move, I noticed more and more people joining the line. Just as I was on the previous day, most were very confused as to what line to join so they simply joined the line which was nearest to the entrance.
After almost an hour of standing in the line I had moved mere few inches. Nerves were becoming frayed and there was much grumbling and griping. Most complained about the inhumane condition of the place where you were forced to stand in the elements. Others complained about the snail’s pace with which the line moved. Yet others complained about how they had joined the line only to be told that they had to go photocopy their documents, and when they returned their space had been taken by someone else who came in later than they did.
The uniformed office made an appearance after about an hour in the line and barked the dreaded instruction, “All those who don’t have numbers, please return after lunch.” There was then much protest and consternation for at least twenty more persons were behind me who had stood in the line for at least an hour only to now be told that they were not going to be able to complete their transaction in the morning.
After almost two hours in the line I finally made it to the verandah and eventually entered the building. Here I had again to wait another hour to complete my transaction but at least the conditions were more comfortable as I was able to sit and the building was moderately cool.
But the drama was not yet complete. A blackout occurred and the entire processing system was shut down. As the temperature in the enclosed building rapidly increased, the supervisor could be heard instructing staff to go and turn on the generator and that others should learn the process since apparently only one person knew how to do it. Finally, after at least 15-20 minutes the system was restored and the AC units resumed operation.
When I completed my transaction I was informed that I would have to return in one week’s time to uplift my licence ‒ another dreaded visit to this backward and unhealthy facility.
Today, one week later, I had to return to the Licence Office and the elements had changed. The weather was now pouring rain. The uniformed guard was now at the front of the building and once again barking instructions on how to line up. There was again at least one hundred people crammed into a space which seemed only capable of containing half that amount. Eventually all lines were instructed to file, in an orderly manner, at the back of the building. This instruction failed spectacularly and it became a race for the fittest and swiftest to reach to the back. Those who had joined the line early and who had waited patiently for the office to resume work after lunch were now left at the back of the surging pack and by the time everyone had lined up at the back those who were in front were now positioned a long way back of the line. And then the whole onerous pattern of trudging through the long sweaty and claustrophobic line had to be done all over again. Persons were literally touching and shoving each other as you tried to get up the line. Luckily, this trip was relatively shorter than the previous one and within 45 minutes I was able to complete my business, but not before my time in the line resulted in me getting wet from the dripping edge of the old buildings.
As I left the building, elated that I had finally completed my transaction, I could not help but feel rage towards Mr Sattaur and the hierarchy of the GRA who have forced upon the people of this country, in the 21st century, a facility which borders on the primitive and which is very inhumane. I wonder, is Mr Sattaur even aware of the plight of those hundreds of people who, by the laws of our country, are forced to bear such conditions to get documents simply to use our roads? Is the management of the GRA so inconsiderate that they cannot divert funds from their vast resources to make this very important facility more customer friendly and create a better and healthier environment?
From my tortuous three days at the Licensing Office I humbly offer a few suggestions to the management of the GRA.
1) The building that houses the office and especially the outer environment is woefully inadequate and unhealthy for the amount of persons who use it on a daily basis. A much bigger space is needed. However, if this cannot be met, effort and expense should be incurred to improve the outer waiting area. Clean up the general environment and create a much better waiting area, ideally with somewhere where you can sit and wait your turn.
2) The numbering system is woefully inadequate and many persons are cheated of their rightful positions in the line. The verandah and steps are also woefully inadequate for the number of lines which use it simultaneously. A model similar to the banks should be implemented.
3) Proper signs, which are easily visible, should be placed at strategic points so that the public can understand the process. The present situation of the uniformed officer making sporadic announcements is poor at best, and many persons are forced to waste their time standing in the wrong lines or lining up for long periods only to be told that their transaction could not be dealt with.
4) Install a photcopying and photographic centre on the premises. This would negate the need for persons to join the line and then have to leave the compound in search of such centres. The amount of persons who need to undertake such transactions on a daily basis guarantees a profit for such an undertaking. There is a dilapidated unused building at the back of the compound which could be restored and converted into a copy centre.
5) Improve the customer relations of the staff and ensure that their worktime is exact, especially after lunch, since persons are waiting in the line for hours only to be told that the relevant staff member is not yet at their desk. There is one individual working in collusion with others who can be seen touting. This should be stopped immediately.
6) How can an important and frequently used office such as this not have a back-up generator which switches on automatically?
7) Please treat the public more humanely.
If the hierarchy of the GRA feels that this letter is an exaggeration, then they are urged to go visit this office, preferably out of work uniform.
Yours faithfully,
(Name and address provided)
