M&CC workers putting up with inhumane conditions

SQUATTERS along the North Ruimveldt canal, well known as the ‘Front Road’ canal, are continuing to pose challenges to persons hired by the City Council to clean the area.
Mayor Patricia Chase-Green referred to the inhumane conditions that the workers have to be subjected to ever so often.

“Toilets are being flushed on them, because the sewerage goes straight into the canal,” Chase-Green pointed out during Monday’s statutory meeting. “Sometimes they in the canal cleaning and all of a sudden a black plastic bag (with faeces) hit them,” she added.
The workers are forced to remove all sorts of things from the canal, including old stoves, fridges, bed frames. And often, days after doing such massive cleaning, the canal is again filled with such items.

With the workers having to work under such conditions, Chase-Green questioned why they still have to endure challenges to obtain their salaries.

City Engineer Colvern Venture recently told this publication that works are currently being done in certain problematic areas of the city, including at the Front Road canal in preparation for the rainy season.

“We have works ongoing in the south of the city at the North Ruimveldt canal, which persons also call the Front Road canal. These works started last week and about 14 contractors are working on this canal,” Venture informed.

Assistant City Engineer Rasheed Kellman told Chronicle recently that squatting impedes the work of the Mayor and City Council (M&CC) when it comes to getting certain drains and canals cleaned, including the one at Front Road. This, in turn, contributes to flooding in the catchment area, he said.

“We don’t get to clean it the way we want to because of the heavy build-up of vegetation and squatting on the reserves,” Kellman said during an interview at City Hall.

Minister within the Ministry of Communities, Valerie Yearwood, had promised to bring squatting on government reserves to an end. She noted that the coalition government has embarked on a journey towards “the good life,” inclusive of providing accessible and affordable housing in sanitary and safe communities, with the necessities for wholesome and dignified living for citizens in need.

Squatting, however, was touted as one of the issues that affect such progress, since some people squat out of desperation. Others, though, do it as a means of economic gain.
According to the minister, those who do it for economic gain occupy a parcel of land, erect a structure and then rent it, in some instances, for as much as $30,000 per month. “Obviously, these ‘landlords’ must have other living options that they occupy. Another vexing dimension to this situation is that some of the squatters are in receipt of house lots,” lamented Patterson.

“As a caring and responsible government, we have to and will fix it,” said Minister Yearwood, adding that in an effort to combat the issue of squatting, they have decided on a number of measures which were recommended by community leaders.

The Central Housing and Planning Authority (CH&PA), over which the minister has oversight, is expected to continuously work with the relevant agencies to complete the process of home-ownership.

Persons from the hinterland have also been beneficiaries of housing through the sustainable housing for the Hinterland Programme, funded by a loan from the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB).

In addition, the CH&PA distributed over 69 housing areas within Georgetown, Linden, Bartica Union-Naarstigheid, Blairmont-Gelderland, Woodley Park-Bath and Tuschen-Uitvlugt.