By Michel Outridge
SURAJ Dhanbeer is a resident of Tuschen, East Bank Essequibo and the father of one, and is also a taxi driver and a construction worker.
When the Pepperpot Magazine met him, he was on his way home to have lunch before returning to work; he is a full-time construction worker and does taxi work on a part-time basis.
“I left home early this morning to work taxi, so I don’t eat then because it is too early and I would pull a few trips transporting passengers in and out this village to the public road, then return home for a quick bite then go again,” he said.
Dhanbeer is from Coffee Grove, Essequibo Coast. He used to be a salesman/driver on a bread truck, back home before relocating to Tuschen after he was allocated a house lot.
He is a resident of Phase Two, Tuschen Village and would do two jobs to ensure his wife and child are comfortable.
The resident reported that a short drop is just $100 in the village while, for the cross streets it is $200 and he is part of the Tuschen Hire Car Service, the United Minibus Association managed by Eon Andrews and they have a logo and operate on the tarmac on a ‘turn’ system just by the public road.
There are more than 100 hire cars operating in Tuschen Village with just 30 registered with the Tuschen Hire Car Service and the private cars are taking over and charging cheaper with loud music and tint.
The drivers told the Pepperpot Magazine that they would pay to keep the tarmac area clean and garbage-free but vendors also share the location and there has been illegal dumping of refuse and it is unfair for them to keep cleaning it up every day.
Even though there is a warden at the location garbage is still being dumped.
In the hire car ‘turn’ system, drivers stated that they pay $200 per day and they would book in their timing and they clean and maintain the tarmac, as well as install a station for handwashing with soap and water to minimise the spread of the novel Coronavirus.
From Blackwater that is Phase Two to the road front is $500 by taxi, since there are no buses traversing the village, the buses would only put off passengers on the public road and they have to make their way into the village itself.
Dhanbeer is part of the newly formed Community Policing Group (CPG) and once they are sworn in and take the oath, they will secure a van and do patrols in the village along with a police at nights.
“I want to give back to the community, so I will assist as a volunteer for the CPG to ensure my family and neighbours are safe at nights,” he said.
Dhanbeer reported that they have a playground in the village, but it needs maintaining, so the children and youths can go there for recreational activities.
The 34-year-old told the Pepperpot Magazine that life in Tuschen Village is so far, okay, except they need a more visible police presence due to some break-ins at houses and some instances of phone-snatching and a few robberies by bicycle robbers.
The ‘ peeled-Shrimp Man’
The team also met the “Shrimp Man’, Naresh Lall, who would ride around the village on his bicycle that has a carrier attached selling peeled shrimp that is already packaged for just $300 a pack.
Lall explained that he would buy the fresh-caught shrimp from fishermen and he would clean it and package it, freeze it and would sell it in the community daily.
Sometimes he also buys, cleans and packages fish also.
He is a resident of Phase Two and had to find a way to earn after he had to quit his construction job due to ill health.
Lall disclosed that due to the dusty conditions at the work environment, he developed a severe allergic reaction but was unable to continue working as a construction worker.
He began the peeled-shrimp business two weeks ago but has been living in Phase Two, Tuschen for the past 10 years.
The father of two added that right now life is a bit hard but he is something to earn even though it is not a fast earner he is trying to hold his self-employed job.
