Residents of the Good Hope, Phase Three, East Coast Demerara community are seeking the intervention of the relevant authorities to have their roads repaired.
When Stabroek News visited last week, the unpaved access roads to Phase Three of the community, were uneven and filled with potholes.
One of the residents who contacted Stabroek News related that the roads in the community have been that way for about seven years and the authorities have made no efforts to rehabilitate it. Residents stated that they have made several complaints to the Neighborhood Democratic Council (NDC) and were told by officials that they are unable to assist the community as it is not registered under the NDC.
One resident, who identified himself as ‘Son’, told Stabroek News that in the past, they would pool money and hire a contractor to do any necessary repairs.
“This is not a road, this is a swamp and it been like this hay long now. Two time we sub money and we get a man to grade de road. We ah live hay and is like they don’t care about we,” he stated.
The man further related that the state of the road puts residents at a disadvantage when it comes to going about their daily lives.
“Taxi them don’t even want come in here, if now a pregnant girl go into labour, what gon happen to her? They had one time it happen and we had to walk the girl out at three in the morning cause the car man didn’t want come in,” he related.
“I’m living here since 2012, and it has been like this since then,” said Raymond Rodrigues, who also indicated that residents have pooled money to have the road graded.
“…sometimes we get people to pool a couple of dollars to grade the road and then when the rain falls it goes back to stage one,” he stated. The man said he believes that the deterioration of the road is as a result of the big sand trucks that go in and out of the community.
Another resident called Sunil related that the state of the roads has resulted in his and other residents’ vehicles being damaged. He added that when it rains, the road turns into a pond.
“You see when you come in Phase Three yuh car graze all the bottom, I got a car and it deh at the workshop now cause of this road. If you notice, the road got holes and inside the hole got holes. When the rain fall, it worse, sometime you can’t even walk the road,” said Sunil. He too stated that multiple complaints were made to the NDC and to the Ministry of Communities.
“When you want a car to come in here, you don’t get nothing, the ones that come in, you have to give them extra money. It’s been like this for a very long time,” said one woman who asked not to be named.
“We’re finding it very hard at the back here, especially for the kids who have to go to school, we have to walk till out front to get a car to take them,” she added. The woman also stated that a scheme which was developed around the same time as the Good Hope, Phase Three scheme was already handed over to the NDC and had their roads done.
“Over at Martyrs Ville got good roads, the new scheme that made same time with this one and I feel that we should have the same,” she opined.
The woman further related that safety is another issue in the community as a few robberies occurred recently at the head of the access road to the community.
The residents are hopeful that the relevant authorities will listen to their cries and assist the community as soon as possible.
