-repairs to road, reduction in taxi fares on horizon

THERE may be good news in the pipeline for residents of Tuschen Phase I Housing Scheme, who have been faced with an indiscriminate hire-car fare hike for travel in and around Tuschen for the longest while.

This is according to the Regional Executive Officer of Region Three, West Demerara-Essequibo Islands, Denis Jaikaran, in an interview with the Guyana Chronicle on Thursday.
The word is that the Region Three Regional Democratic Council is engaging in discussions with the Central Housing and Planning Authority (CH&PA) pertaining to the handing over of Tuschen and La Parfaite Harmonie Housing Schemes to the Neighbourhood Democratic Councils (NDC).

This move is expected to bring an end to the problem of the urgent need for road repairs, which hire-car drivers blame on their decision to hike fares.
Residents of Phase I Tuschen, East Bank Essequibo, are peeved over what they call the arbitrary and unconscionable hiking of fares by hire-car drivers providing the service to commuters travelling from the Tuschen Main Road to inland Tuschen.
Residents claim that over the last several months, the fare has been increased from $100 to as much as $400 and $500 for short drops taking them anywhere in the scheme. They contend that this move is unconscionable, especially when households with many travelling persons, barely managing to eke out a living, are forced to find $800 and $1,000 per person per day to cover the cost of transportation alone.

“So what we working for …only to pay hire-car drivers when we got other expenses?”One resident asked in indignation. The residents claim that even if they try to cut expenses by walking out in the morning, it is not the kind of risk they can take after dark.
Meanwhile, the drivers attempted to justify their steep hike of the car fares by claiming that many of the roads they traverse have deep and wide potholes, which they claim cause damage to cars and their parts, including shocks, springs, tyres and mag rims. One driver contended that on a monthly basis, it is more expensive to maintain and keep their cars on the roads than feed their families.

But there was another side to the story, as related by Regional Executive Officer Denis Jaikaran (Snr), who told the Guyana Chronicle that time and again, the Regional Democratic Council had done work on roads in the Tuschen Phase I Housing Scheme, using their mini excavator and graders.

“Yes, we have done work. But I would say to you that the Parfaite Harmonie and Tuschen Housing Schemes, those two schemes are still to be handed over to the Region Three Neighbourhood Democratic Council (NDC) by the Central Housing and Planning Authority,” Jaikaran told the Guyana Chronicle. He said only after such handing over, would the NDC be fully responsible for infrastructural works in the areas.
This is so, he said, to the extent that whenever Council effects repairs, out of goodwill, it can probably be considered as trespassing on the grounds of the CH&PA. “We do this, only because it is part of Region Three, and so we try to assist because we consider Central Housing and Planning Authority as part of the region, and therefore we cannot leave them on their own,” the REO said.

Good News
However, on a very refreshing note, the REO declared: “We are negotiating with the Central Housing and Planning Authority, so that in quick time, (with due regard to their priorities and knowing them to be operating countrywide), we anticipate that they would be handing over the schemes.”

On a reassuring note, the REO continued: “I am told, and I very well believe that work would be done this year on those roads, through the Central Housing and Planning Authority, albeit that we are still going to maintain, as far as we can, those roads. But we are negotiating and will beg of them to assist in maintenance work to the road,” Mr. Jaikaran assured.

Benefits
Ideally, there are benefits to accrue, following the handing over of the schemes, the REO outlined. “Two basic things will happen: Firstly, infrastructure will be undertaken by the NDC and the RDC and the second thing is that owners of lands/properties in the schemes will have to start paying taxes,” Mr. Jaikaran said.

The REO outlined that for the 18 to 20 years the Tuschen Housing Scheme has been in existence, property owners have not been paying taxes to the state. “None of these people have been paying taxes. None of them. Therefore, with the handing over of the schemes, it can be expected that they will commence paying,” he emphasised.
He explained too, that with the handing over of the schemes and with the authority given, payment of taxes will commence and those same taxes would serve to alleviate some of the difficulties and problems being faced.

As it relates to the hiking of car fares, the REO stoutly declared: “They [hire car drivers] have no authority to raise their fares/charges to commuters, doubling it or otherwise. That is irregular and can be considered illegal,” he cautioned.
And on this note, the REO was adamant and sent out a strong call to those hire- car drivers not contributing to the revenue by payment of taxes, to consider doing so.
“Those hire-car drivers [not paying taxes] should get themselves in order by paying taxes to the Guyana Revenue Authority. We have too many persons evading taxes at different levels and I think that the time has come for them to consider paying these taxes now,” the REO affirmed.