No matter the results of the general elections, residents of Mahdia are hoping for change after what they say is the continued neglect of the community and especially the main access road.
During a rally in the area last week, Minister of Public Works Robeson Benn had told residents that the incumbent PPP/C is committed to ensuring progress, while blaming budget cuts instituted by the opposition for the lack of the progress they continue to complain about.
However, many residents who spoke with Stabroek News blamed the PPP/C administration for neglecting the infrastructural and economic developments in the community. In particular, they pointed to the Bartica-Potaro Road, which they said is in dire need of repairs as its current state is adversely affecting the economic wellbeing of residents.
For miners, bus and hire car operators, business owners and residents, the deplorable condition of the road along with the drop in gold price have significantly contributed to a slowdown in business.
The road presently accommodates huge trucks as well as minibuses and cars on a daily basis. A trip to the Potaro River via a Land Cruiser was terrifying and while manoeuvring some sections of the road it sometimes appeared as though the vehicle might topple over.
Randolph Hackett, a taxi driver for four years, complained about the road’s condition, which he said results in significant costs for repairs for his vehicle. The price for fuels also remains high, he noted.
Resident Sylvia Gray said she once worked as a security guard with the hospital but could not afford to keep her job since her wages were not enough to maintain her family owing to the high cost of living,. She now works with a relative who is the owner of a business.
The road is a major concern for Gray, a mother of six, who said that whenever she and her children travel to Georgetown they all get sick.
She lamented the fact that the area has tremendous potential for economic development as is evident from the amount of gold which was mined from the community while it appears as though the government has abandoned it.
Although she said that a vast amount of the mining area was worked out by the Brazilians, the area is still producing, she noted.
Gray said the situation becomes very distressing for her sometimes, given that she has to take a taxi at a cost of $8,000 and sometimes $9,000 to go to a creek to do laundry, since the pipelines do not supply water. The creek, which many of the residents use, is sometimes filled and other persons have to join a queue to wait their turn to use it.
She noted too that residents are required to pay $7,000 to $8,000 for one tank of water and $500 for one bucket of water.
A minibus driver, who asked not to be named, said he is also distressed about the state of the road, while noting that the drop in the price of gold has also affected the flow of passengers. He added that those who are travelling in many cases do not have the full fare because they come out from the mining areas without money because they were unsuccessful in acquiring gold. He noted that if the cost for maintenance was not so high, operators would have been comfortable with a reduction of the fare.
Some residents would walk long distances along the road due to the high cost of transportation.
The driver noted that minibus drivers are required to pay $14,000 for the crossing at Mango Landing, which is being operated by Mekdeci Machinery Construction Inc.
The driver said he is hoping that the new government will construct a permanent road for them which might result in the reduction of the fare.
A businessman, who travels from Parika to sell goods in Mahdia, also expressed concerns over the condition of the road, while he pointed out that the journey consumes a
considerable amount of time, which also results in loss of business. He is also appalled by the high toll of the crossing at Mango Landing.
Gordon Austin, who operates a minibus from Mahdia to Georgetown, was outraged at the road’s condition. Austin opined that the amount of revenues generated from Omai and the lotto funds should have been invested in the improvement of the road.
A miner who lives at Tumatumari said that pensioners are required to travel to Mahdia at a cost of $8,000 to collect their pension of $12,000.
He also said a health post in the village is deteriorating due to the absence of staff. A health worker visits the area occasionally but she is also obligated to visit other areas, the man said, which limits what she can do at Mahdia.
The types of vehicles which traverse the road should have been considered and a road should be constructed to facilitate them, the miner said, while adding that the roads were graded in the past but soon after deteriorated.
Another miner, Lennox (only name given), referred to Mahdia as “a mess,” while highlighting that before using the roads, he will take a “good sniff.”
Lennox said that he felt that the government neglects the community because of the number of years residents were forced to abide with the road’s condition.
