Three weeks after being breached, the Peter’s Hall koker’s door has been rebuilt and is fully operational.
However, residents of Peter’s Hall and surrounding areas, who suffered losses in severe flooding after the breach of the koker door, are still seeking compensation and have written President Donald Ramotar for redress as they say their situation is being ignored.
Chief Executive Officer of the National Drainage and Irrigation Autho- rity (NDIA) Lionel Wordsworth on Thursday told Stabroek News that rehabilitation of the koker, which included the installation of a brand new door, servicing of the lifting mechanism and the installation of metal strips used to strengthen the structural body of the koker, cost approximately $4M.
Some residents suffered damage to household items, while others also saw the loss of crops and livestock in the flooding.
Meanwhile, the residents have sent letters to President Ramotar since they believe that they have been neglected by the Minister of Local Govern-ment Norman Whittaker.
Whittaker assured them in a meeting that was held at the Peter’s Hall Primary School five days after the flooding that they would receive feedback as it relates to compensation.
They were told to submit information about their losses to the ministry. However, over two weeks after there has been no feedback.
“…We feel cheated and abandoned by those responsible for addressing our situation,” concerned residents wrote in the letter to the President, dated October 24, 2014, a copy of which was seen by Stabroek News.
They said most of what was lost took a lifetime of hard work and sacrifices to acquire and lamented that they had not been contacted by the authorities or given official word about compensation. “To make matters worse, there has been a public statement by the Minister that we will only be partially compensated.
Could this be fair?” they questioned.
Residents had said that complaints about the koker to authorities had been ignored prior to the door being smashed.
