-dissatisfied with level of service

By Nafeeza Yahya
EAST BERBICE residents of Port Mourant and contiguous communities are calling on Central Government to look into the operations of the Port Mourant/Johns Neighbourhood Democratic Council (NDC), as they are dissatisfied with the level of service delivered by the entity.Their frustrations stem from several issues, with some residents calling for a new body to govern the NDC. Residents accuse the NDC of failing in its duties; they say that garbage has overtaken the Babu Jaan Cemetery and is daily moving closer towards the residential area.

When this publication visited the area, garbage and old appliances were strewn about for hundreds of metres, going all the way into the cemetery.

According to Suresh Sugrim, President of the New Jersey Araya Samaj Humanitarian Mission, whose local headquarters is within close proximity to the cemetery, he had made several complaints to the NDC, but nothing was done. He said the area was cleaned once before, but people are still dumping garbage, as they do not have any alternative to dumping.

“I have spoken to the NDC on several occasions, and even offered a possible solution; but that, too, has fallen on deaf ears… It is sad enough when you bring your loved ones to be cremated, but then you have to contend with the stench of dead animals and see garbage everywhere. The authorities need to get this situation under control soon, as it is already a health hazard, and will get worse,” Sugrim declared.

Another resident, Pooran Singh, said the area is cleaned only when the memorial service for the late President Dr. Cheddi Jagan is being held; thereafter, the NDC pays no attention to the area.

“Instead of calling this the Cheddi Jagan Memorial Site, it should be called the Cheddi Jagan Dumpsite, as that is what it is. How embarrassing!” Singh lamented.

As we moved from the cemetery, a group of residents stopped this reporter and took us to the main entrance into the housing scheme, where they pointed to a pothole in the middle of the road. According to Mahendra Dass, the pothole, measuring 6 feet square by four feet deep, has been there for over six months, and several cars have been damaged as they drove into the hole during the nights.

“This crater has been here for over six months now, and the NDC is doing nothing about it. People who drive here in the nights fall into the hole and damage their vehicles. The NDC does not care about the welfare of its residents; and they must be held accountable, as we are tax paying residents that expect and demand service from them,” he said.

Another resident, a priest, deemed the pothole “life-threatening and a danger to all”. He said the hole is getting bigger as the day goes by, and is soon going to eat away the shoulders of the road and merge with the trench if no attention is given to it as soon as possible.

Another area of concern is the Port Mourant Market. Residents are complaining about the stench emanating from the market since Saturday last, and are calling on NDC staffers to do their jobs and clean the market. They say this is not the first time the market has been emanating a stench.

Pamila Jaijairam, a teacher at a nearby school who lives in the market street, said she is frustrated with the performance of the NDC, as this is not the first time its staffers have failed to clean the market after Saturday’s activities. She is of the view that the NDC believes the managing of the market is Rocket Science.

“My doors and windows are closed and I can still smell that horrible odour from all the fish guts, head, and fish left behind by vendors. Tomorrow all the school children will have to walk on fish guts and maggots, and inhale the horrible odour,” Jaijairam said. She, too, is calling on Central Government to look into the affairs of the NDC.

According to another frustrated resident, Dauren Deonarine, the situation at the market has gotten worse since the new NDC management took office, and he is calling on the Ministry of Communities to step in and do something.

“This is happening yet again in just a couple months. Since the newly elected/selected council took the reins of the NDC, the area (has been) in a terrible state, with garbage all over; and the scent is hitting us even as we have a sealed house. As soon as we open the door to exit, it’s like walking into a septic tank with the stench. When this happened once prior, NIS had to close the local office for a day because of the scent and garbage all over.”

The Port Mourant/Johns NDC, one of the larger NDCs in East Berbice, has come in for a lot of negative remarks lately from residents and vendors who ply their trade at the Port Mourant Market. Efforts to contact Imran Ally, the chairman of the NDC, for a comment were unsuccessful.