By Shauna Jemmott

A SLIDING gate in the midst of an alley between Crown and Laluni Streets in Queenstown, Georgetown has caused some disquiet in the neighbourhood, with some residents accusing a businessman of building the structure across land belonging to the Mayor and City Council (M&CC).

A resident telephoned this newspaper to complain that the gate, constructed by city businessman Neil Sooklall, is blocking an alleyway through which persons pass to go from one street to another. The resident was calling for its removal.

The Guyana Chronicle visited the area and spoke with another resident, who said he had lodged complaints with the M&CC over the building of the sliding gate and two concrete bridges, which will pose difficulties for the cleaning of drains. He said his yard floods easily because of the structure constructed across the small drain.

When the Guyana Chronicle visited the area, the gate was slid across the alley, preventing access through the narrow passageway. Later, it was slid open to allow access. The businessman explained that he owns the land on Crown Street, which houses his business place, as well as the neighbouring land on Laluni Street. The narrow passageway separates the two parcels of land, and he constructed a bridge linking the two plots of land.

The Crown Street land is an empty lot, but is temporarily being used as a playground for children in the Queenstown area, who would play cricket and use a trampoline which he placed there for that purpose. He said the trampoline was at the front of the yard, but one day, when the children were playing, a neighbour reported to the M&CC that some children were making noise, and it was a nuisance, so he moved it at the back of the yard.

Sooklall explained that more complaints reached the M&CC after he had moved the trampoline, so he installed the sliding gates to the front and back of the empty lots to protect his property from loiterers and burglars.

“It’s a sliding gate. We put the gate because you got vagrants, junkies around here…. They jump, they thief pump, they thief all kinda thing! And we have a trampoline which some children use. It’s a temporary sliding gate; it’s open; it don’t carry lock.”

He said he was never confronted by any neighbour about the issue, and thought that anyone could have approached him if what he had done was affecting them. He has lived there for six years and has never had problems with anyone.

A resident, has however, said the gate blocks the entire passageway which some persons use to gain access from one street to the next. He said he even complained to the M&CC, but nothing has changed.

“The person that buy over there blocked the entire alleyway. It’s affecting me so much I even had to call the mayor, but I know the mayor is so busy. This thing is a nuisance, man! Even outside there, why can’t they break it up? the muck is under there. I don’t understand why nobody can’t come and tell him that he has to break down there.”

The man said that if he were to follow suit, the council would then have a problem.

“That belong to the Mayor and City Council, so how can one just block off like that and nobody ain’t doing anything about it? I talked to so many people; I spoke to the Mayor, but he was so busy, he said I gonna look into it… but nothing isn’t happening!”

“I don’t think it’s fair to nobody around here for somebody to do something like that, and nothing is being done about it. I reported this matter to the Mayor and nobody ain’t doing nothing about it. Look in front there! Look how that place is…cement right through! So when the people come to clean, nobody can’t get the gutter; and when rain falls I get flood,” the man complained.

The M&CC had recently cleaned the area, using the sliding gate to gain access to the narrow drain and to clear the passageway. The bridges were designed with large holes of the size of the manholes attached to the sewerage system found along the pavements of Georgetown. These holes, Sooklall explained, give easy access to city workers for cleaning of the drains, which were recently cleared right through.

Attempts by Guyana Chronicle to reach M&CC Public Relations Officer Debra Lewis yesterday proved futile.