Latest update February 4th, 2025 9:06 AM
Grove residents to petition for new bridge
Irate residents of Block ‘Y’ Section ‘C’ Grove New Scheme, East Bank Demerara will now be formally applying to the Ministry of Public Works for the permission to rebuild a bridge, which was demolished by the Neighbourhood Democratic Council (NDC) last Sunday.
It was commotion in the community when the wooden structure was being demolished, as residents who were determined to have the structure remain, clashed with NDC officers who were just as resolute in completing the task given to them.
The verbal battle became physical, and the involving parties all ended up being transported to the Diamond Police Station where the matter was dealt with.
The materials of the demolished makeshift bridge.
Meanwhile, residents are annoyed at the way the NDC dealt with the matter, noting that the structure was built as a safety mechanism for villagers.
“We know that we built the thing on government reserve, but it been there for 12 years, and nobody ever had a problem with it. We are working people, we don’t have the time to go through the drawn out process of getting the permission to build the bridge,” one female resident who asked not to be named, said.
She added however, that while it is illegal for persons to build on government-owned land, it would have been a lot easier, had the residents been warned about it.
“They never come and give we no notice or nothing, they just decide that they gon come and break up everything. That wasn’t the way to go about doing it. We would have gotten the permission if they had asked us to, but they didn’t give us the chance,” the woman said.
She added that “We didn’t spend our money to build the bridge because we have nuff money and have nothing better to do with it! We built it because it guaranteed that we, the people of Block ‘Y’ Grove, were safer.”
Another resident, Bibi Alli, told Kaieteur News that about 12 years ago, community members formed a group and decided to build a wooden bridge linking their dam and the main road.
She explained that this is because the distance between the two government-funded bridges is not only lengthy, but the initial structure being utilized by residents of her area is located in a dark and lonely area where persons are usually attacked and robbed.
Alli said that after several such instances, a number of residents pooled their money together and erected a structure between the two bridges.
“It had light, and it was safer for people cross without being robbed and so. It been there fuh so many years, and nobody had a problem with it,” Ali said.
She said that while last Sunday’s clash with the NDC officials should not have happened, the residents knew the importance of the bridge, and were not prepared to let the men destroy the structure.
“Another problem we had was the fact that these men just showed up to break our bridge, but they could not produce any paperwork. We keep asking them fuh show we some documents, but they didn’t, and even we, residents, did determined not to let the men bulldoze our bridge.
“Suh dey started to become very angry and everybody just get into this really heated argument and that led to a fight, and people start getting hit and a whole commotion. One of the men even ripped open my blouse…so it was a whole nasty situation,” Alli explained.
Nonetheless, because they no longer have a choice, the residents of Block ‘Y’ Section ‘C’ Grove New Scheme will be petitioning the aforementioned Ministry for a new bridge.
“We will go through the process, but if they don’t give us the permission to build back the bridge, then that’s a different story. We will even protest, because we know what poor and hardworking people does face at the hands of bandits when dey crossing the bridge that the government mek,” one resident reflected.
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