Residents of Diamond, East Bank Demerara remain dissatisfied with the condition of several roads in the community that have been in a deplorable condition for a long time.
In a letter to Stabroek News that was published in December, a resident stated that while it has been well over a decade since some of the residents have settled in the community, they still have not been blessed with proper roads, a proper water supply and adequate street lights in the “so-called biggest housing development.”
He said that the concerns were raised on several occasions with every Minister of Housing and the Neighbourhood Democratic Council (NDC) Chairman, only to get promises that never materialised.
“We heard the same with the new government and waited patiently but it seems as if only squatting areas are being taken care of,” he said, while adding the community might probably get the attention it needs if they were to rename it a squatting area.
He added that while squatting is illegal in the country and thousands of residents in the community are abiding by the law and spent millions on purchasing land the correct way, they are forced to live worse than those who decided to take the law into their own hands and squatted.
When Stabroek News visited the area, gaping potholes could be seen along some of the main roads. Some of them were half asphalt and half sand, while others were littered with small bricks which are damaging to vehicles.
One resident, who did not want to be named, also highlighted what he dubbed to be the “unfair” repair of roads along which persons of “influence” are living, while others were skipped. “The roads are really bad, especially for your vehicles. You can’t even walk properly on them, much less drive. After a while you got to spend nuff money to repair all the damages the rough road doing to your vehicle,” the resident told Stabroek News.
He also pointed out two cross streets between Fifth and Sixth Avenues that were done while several others were ignored. “Look at that, you see? They didn’t do the first one, or the second one, they skipped those two and then do the third or fourth, I can’t remember, and then skipped some more and do a next one,” he said, questioning the logic behind the decision.
While the deplorable roads are one major issue, he also highlighted the lack of street lighting as another. “You should see it in the night; it’s really dark. You can’t even walk your own street and feel safe,” he said, while pointing out that the street lights that are currently in the streets were purchased and installed by residents. “You want the place to light up and feel safe? Then you got to get your own street lights,” he said, while adding that it should not be up to the residents to provide street lights to make the community safer. “There’s a lot of undeveloped lands here still, even though a lot of people are here currently and there’s a lot of bush in certain areas, so you never know who could be hiding and waiting for you,” he stated.
While someone pointed out trouble with water, the resident pointed out that there have been issues with water cutting off because of a faulty pump but it was restored quickly through the diligent work of the Guyana Water Incorporated (GWI).
“A lot of people have been living in this community and watched it develop and it is sad that we still have to endure such poor roads and darkness,” he added.
