Due to concerns over the state of the Diamond burial ground, Chairman of the Diamond/Grove Neighbourhood Demo-cratic Council (NDC) Bharat Narine says a work plan would have to be developed to address the issues.
Stabroek News had published a letter last Thursday from a resident of the area, Andre Fortune, who wrote, “The toxic and desecrated state of the two burial grounds in the village of Diamond is a national disgrace and an indictment of the NDCs which were elected to serve the community.
The deep vegetation and non-access to the final resting place of the departed is painful and unbelievable.” Fortune, who took part in last year’s Local Government Elections as an independent candidate, has been residing in the village for more than two decades. “…it pains me to point out the lack of decency and respect even for the departed by these shameless people who were elected councillors of the two NDCs,” he added.
As a result, he called on the Minister of Communities Ronald Bulkan to use his office to ensure that “some sanity and respectability is restored to these hallowed grounds which will one day become the final place of rest for all villagers when they depart this earthly life.”
Speaking to Stabroek News on Monday, Narine related that the burial ground that Fortune is referring to is hardly ever used and currently the NDC is focusing its resources on the new burial ground that is located in the Grove Scheme.
“Within the last year, we haven’t received any requests to use that burial ground but we have recognised that there is work to be done there and we could even bring that burial ground back into operation but there are some big trees there and we have to come up with a work plan with what we want to do,” he explained.
In his letter, Fortune also suggested that the councillors from the NDC take a walk about in the village to get a first-hand experience of the deplorable state of roads, canals, bridges and culverts and work towards addressing the issues.
However, Narine explained that the councillors and residents often have walkabouts from which they have identified a number of issues that will be addressed, including the state of the burial ground.
