Councillors in Region 8 (Potaro-Siparuni) are upset that heavy-duty machinery owned by the region is lying idle at a private residence in Mahdia, while rehabilitation works in the area are at a standstill.
Their concerns are being raised even as residents continue to lament the deplorable conditions of the roads and water service in communities in the region.
“We have a small mini excavator, dump truck, [and] four bulldozers. But you think they repairing road or fetching water for the dorms? The RDC [Regional Democratic Council], they have them and are using for private use while people punish,” Councillor Mohamed Gafoor told Stabroek News.
Gafoor is one of several councillors who complained to this newspaper that while rehabilitation of infrastructure in the region is needed, the machinery is being managed by the RDC for private works.
However, Gafoor was the only councillor who was unafraid of being named while the others asked to be kept anonymous.
“I don’t care about who say what. Put my name. But I know they will say Gafoor want political mileage because everything for them is political mileage. But right is right and if speaking is political mileage, let the people judge,” he asserted.
The councillors inform-ed that they have been complaining to Regional Executive Officer (REO) Ronald Harsawack about the situation for over a year but nothing has changed.
“We asked the REO why the machines and the truck sitting at (name of private citizen) yard when the roads bad … and the dorms need water fetched because of we situation and all we getting is that none of them ain’t working,” a councillor said.
“If they not working, why you collecting money for fuel then? And why they doing work for people? When you see it working and you rush to ask them, now they say it barely fix and seems like it get more problems… these people think people docile or something,” he added.
Several efforts to contact the REO proved futile.
Gafoor pointed out that while the truck transports a water tank for the REO’s office and home, it is the fire engine that is used to take water to the local school.
He said that he was fed up with the attitudes of the REO and others and hopes that by highlighting the problem through the media residents will see the machinery being used for the intended purposes.
“We just want the machines to be used for what they collect it for. Look at this place! So much to do and the vehicles deh wasting away on private property,” he said.
