Residents of Coldingen, East Coast Demerara are frustrated about the unacceptable state of some of the streets in the community which they say have been severely affecting their daily lives for several years now.
“You can’t call these potholes, this is something else because look how this deep this is,” a resident of the area said as he stood in one of the holes.
He told Stabroek News that the streets have been in this condition for a while now and have only gotten worst with the rainy season.
This, he said has been affecting the residents tremendously.
“It got some big vehicles coming through here and we can’t stop them because people have to get about their business,” the resident said while adding that the taxis and minibuses does not want to traverse the area and have since raise their fares.
“They would drop you off to a point and you got to walk the rest and now they raise the fare from $200 to like $500 and so,” he lamented.
When Stabroek News visited the community on Saturday work was ongoing on the access road.
However, while residents said this was appreciated, they said more emphasis should be placed and priority given to the streets that are in a more deplorable state than the access road. “The [access] road did bad yes but not as bad as them streets this here,” a resident Bebe Shaneeza Ulla said.
Contacted for a comment, Chairman of the Buxton/Foulis Neighbour-hood Democratic Council (NDC) Deon Abrams said that while he is aware of the situation he was unable to provide any comment since the area is a housing community and its responsibility lies with the Central Housing and Planning Authority (CH&PA).
He noted that the work on the access road was being conducted by the Ministry of Public Infrastructure.
Meanwhile, Public Relations Officer of the Ministry of Communities, Department of Housing, Iva Wharton said she was not aware of any complaints having reached the CH&PA but attempts will be made to understand and respond to the situation.
She said that having spoken with the engineers, she was made to understand that several tenders were awaiting cabinet approval and one to address that situation might be among those.
Another resident believes that the road condition is unacceptable. “When rain fall it worst, a day I did coming home on my bicycle and I nearly stick up in one of them holes,” he said.
Persons have also been complaining about the damage done on their vehicles, while students and workers are forced to put up with the muddy conditions to get to school and work.
