Truckers on Thursday called off an overnight protest about the Burma, Mahaicony access road after the Region Five Chairman ordered remedial works.
One of the truck drivers told Stabroek News the protest started on Wednesday around 11am and ended at 9am yesterday. The man, who asked not to named, said about 20 drivers and a few farmers, who use the road on a daily basis, blocked it and demanded that the authorities improve its condition.
He said the protest started when a truck became stuck in the road, enraging the driver, who then called other drivers to help him get the truck out of the muddy road. A while after, other drivers arrived on the scene and were incensed by what they saw and they began to block the road with their trucks.
The driver said three miles of the road had fallen apart while the other two miles remain intact. He stated that poor maintenance was the reason for the deplorable condition of the road and that it only worsens whenever the rain falls.
He added that contractors would usually visit the road and “dig it up and level it off” but there are no serious maintenance works. “We fed up of this thing. Is years now we asking them to fix this road and it’s only getting worse,” the man said.
Region Five Chairman Bindrabhan Bisnauth said after the truck got stuck, the region took an excavator and assisted in removing it.
Bisnauth added that the region has recruited a contractor to carry out remedial works on the road at the most critical spots. However, he said he does not know who would pay the contractor for the work done due to the current political state of the country. A national budget is not expected to be presented until after the May 11th general elections.
Bisnauth also said the road was not built to facilitate trucks carrying over 10 tonnes because the farm to market road is bordered by two canals, making it less durable. He stated that rice trucks carry over 20 tonnes of weight and the road deteriorates faster with the constant traffic.
When asked when last rehabilitation works were carried out on the road, he said the Regional Democratic Council had engaged in continuous work to keep the road in a workable state. The chairman also disclosed that the road has deteriorated over years because of the excess weight and it is time for a new road.
