~residents believe NDC should do more than just fix roads

THE residents of Belfield on the East Coast of Demerara are delighted that works are being carried out on the internal roads of the housing scheme.

For some months, persons residing in the Belfield, New Housing Scheme, have been dealing with what some would call ‘deplorable roads’.

Speaking with the Guyana Chronicle, Wonette Lespuer, a resident of the area, stated that she is pleased with the commencement of the road construction in the housing scheme since the roads have been in a deplorable state for quite some time.
She noted that while the Neighbourhood Democratic Council’s (NDC) work is greatly appreciated, more is still to be done in the area since several other residents have complaints of other issues besides the roads.

Esther Glasgow, another resident, expressed immense pleasure with the works done so far in the housing scheme since the roads were in an awful state, especially when the rain fell.
She noted that during the rainy seasons the road, which was once filled with potholes, would become flooded and muddy and whenever vehicles drove through the area, it would make matters worse.

However, she noted that the new and improved roads will be greatly appreciated not only by vehicle owners in the housing scheme, but also by bicycle users and also some of the elderly persons who have to manoeuvre through the area.
Another resident, who requested to remain anonymous, stated that with the better roads, he will be changing his tyres less, since the roads no longer have any potholes.
He noted that he would usually have to visit the mechanic or the tyre shop weekly due to the conditions of the road.

While the man was pleased with the road construction, he believes that the NDC’s work is far from finished since there are some parts of the scheme that are still without street lights and other amenities.
He further noted that there has been an issue of drainage which has resulted in some drains being backed up in the housing scheme.

Meanwhile, this newspaper spoke to the Chairperson of the Grove/Haslington NDC, Maureen Philadelphia, who related that the ongoing road project in the housing scheme is a $15 million project which came after a village meeting was held to assess areas in Belfield and Victoria which required much attention and development.

She noted that the works being carried out on the roads are just the beginning of an extensive community development project.
She added that, given the residents’ concern, street lights will be placed at strategic points of the housing scheme to provide residents with a sense of security.
Ms. Philadelphia noted that several streets in Victoria will also be reconstructed along with the road leading to the water pump, which requires heavy machinery to traverse through the area to maintain the water pump.

However, in light of the concern of drainage raised by a resident in Belfield, Ms. Philadelphia stated, “We depend on each other and residents should work along with the NDC to ensure that their communities are well taken care of.”

She also urged the residents of Belfield to not depend entirely on the Neighbourhood Democratic Council to clean the drains. The residents, she said, should also take responsibility for keeping their surroundings clean.