Dear Editor,
AS a concerned resident and taxpayer living in Agriculture Road, I am concerned about some issues in this road that leads to the Guyana School of Agriculture and NAREI. I had observed on the exact day of the Local Government Elections, a hymac and dragline were digging the trench on the left-hand corner of the road, the trench that’s near the Guyana School of Agriculture and NAREI.I also saw a small Hymac digging some trenches in Block 8, where my church is located. To be honest, in over 12 years, these people from the NDC never dug a trench here nor cleaned the corners of the road that has tall black sage bushes, but came suddenly the day of the local government elections. What were they trying to prove?
I guess they were trying to get votes for their personal laziness and incompetence. My next observation was just as the local government elections were over, I noted with a great deal of interest a new road was immaculately built through Market Street that leads up to the BV/Triumph NDC. Now that these new people are in power, they are concerned only about themselves and does nothing for the residents in this road. The trench on the right-hand corner of this road was never dig in 15 years; the BV/Triumph NDC is responsible for this trench. This trench is very dirty and shallow; just one hour of rain will flood the entire place, but no one at the BV/Triumph NDC is concerned. From the Fibre Tech Industry going back, this trench is like the gateway to hell: it is filled with big bushes and trees; a car can drive over it very easily and it harbours dangerous snakes and alligators.
Not long ago, I killed a dangerous 12-foot snake that came out this trench up my verandah shed. Now with the constant rains the water in this trench is stagnant, it goes no where and the water in the drains in my yard has not been moving for over five days now.
I am calling on the relevant authority at the BV/Triumph NDC to get this trench dug immediately. We have another hazard in this road: the development of huge potholes. From the beginning of this road just opposite NAREI is a big pothole like a little trench; the middle of this road is broken in two, because of a huge pothole. If one drives this road when it rains, they are left in these holes in cars. Not long ago, a car bounced off a hole and dropped into the big trench; luckily, residents saved the driver. The Chairman and Administrators of the NDC and the Administrators at NAREI drive this road daily, but it doesn’t bother them. Only when the Agriculture Minister is coming to the Guyana School of Agriculture or the President will I see those at NAREI or the NDC hustling to throw some sand in those potholes.
Why hustle to build when someone in authority is coming? These educated folk can make representation to the Ministry of Public works to re-surface the bad spots in this road, but they just put a blind eye to it until it got worst. Most of our roads are badly damaged, because no one is maintaining them. What I see in this country is, we leave things to be destroyed, when it could have been rescued and repaired before its complete destruction.
Most accidents in this country are caused by bad roads and not speeding alone. When will someone fix these dangerous potholes in Agriculture Road? Maybe until a great accident occurred and residents are killed. If we can’t dig trenches and fix basic roads, then how are we going to govern this whole country? Very soon we will have to offer a new degree at the University of Guyana to drive in Guyana — a PhD (Doctor of Pot Holes).
I am calling on the NDC to get these trenches cleared or residents will be flooded out; I am calling on NAREI to make representation to get this road fixed immediately. Most of the flooding we now see is caused by negligent and incompetent NDCS; why are we really paying taxes? Guess we are paying to be flooded out. I am calling on the Minister of Public works to get the Agriculture Road repaired and other relevant authorities to address this garbage dump by dealing with the residents living there, who make this environment a living hell for those walking and driving on the road.
Regards
Rev. Gideon Cecil