–sign petition asking gov’t to go ahead with rehabilitation of sluice

STANLEYTOWN residents have come together and signed a petition calling on the government to go ahead with the rehabilitation of the sluice at Number 51 Stanleytown, New Amsterdam as planned, despite what was deemed unnecessary objections from the People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR)-led New Amsterdam Mayor and Town Council, and about five older residents.
The contractor for the project last month visited the location to commence works on the sluice, as the project was awarded through the National Drainage and Irrigation Authority (NDIA). However, he was stopped by the few older residents and a senior official of the Town Council.

At the location, the official claimed that the older residents did not want the sluice to be touched, as they claimed that the old structure was still intact.
However, over 200 residents have come out against this and attached their signatures to a petition addressed to the Minister of Agriculture, Zulfikar Mustapha, calling for the works to proceed as soon as possible, since the community was recently affected by a flood caused by heavy rainfall.

The petition noted: “We, the residents of Stanleytown, New Amsterdam, Berbice, hereby make this petition to have the sluice upgraded and modernised in the said project undertaken by the Government of Guyana at Lot 51 Stanleytown, New Amsterdam, Berbice.”

“We call for this rehabilitation project to be expedited forthwith without any hindrances or delays, since the sluice has outlived its life-span and outflow capacity, and there is greater need for an expansion and bigger sluice. Hence, our total support for this project,” residents said.

The letter also pointed out that the sluice aids in the drainage of the 51 Stanleytown outfall, and its upgrade will bring much- needed relief to the residents of the Stanleytown area. The residents, in their petition, said that the structure was constructed in the 1930s.

“We the residents of the Stanleytown area sincerely wish to thank the government, and the Ministry of Agriculture on the venture, and we assure you that you will have our utmost support on this project, which will be beneficial to us as residents of Stanleytown,” the residents related.