Charity residents concerned over deteriorated streets

Jan 17, 2018 News

Recent concerns have surfaced, with regards to the rapid deterioration of internal streets in the Charity Housing schemes.
Residents have brought to the attention of this Publication, their appeal for new and improved infrastructure. The Internal streets of the Charity Extension Scheme are to date, riddled with potholes, most of which residents believe are beyond repairs.
This network of poor and dilapidated infrastructure has caused economic constraints for many. One resident reported that he has since replaced a car bumper. Some potholes are so huge, they would jerk a bumper loose.
Residents believe that inferior works by contractors may have contributed to the rapid deterioration. As a thriving community of some 6000 residents, Charity is now a heavily commercialized port, dominating the Essequibo Coast with business on Mondays.
Many claim, however, that little is being done to preserve the community interest. This issue was recently raised during an interview with the Region Two Chairman, Devenand Ramdatt.
Mr. Ramdatt said that the Charity Extension Scheme is still under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Communities. He added that the Ministry has done no enhancement work on the Scheme, apart from two roads which were rehabilitated previously.
The Regional Chairman told media operatives, last Friday, that the Regional Democratic Council will partner with the Charity Neighborhood Democratic Council in pursuing a possible solution.
Mr. Ramdatt added, “We will also speak with the NDC to ensure that they cater for the maintenance of some of these roads in Charity. As a community, Charity maybe has the worse internal roads. There was even part of the main road that had to be fixed prior to December.
I want to make it clear that it is not only our internal roads that are deteriorating but we also see rapid deterioration of the Essequibo Coast public road.
“Many believe that the RDC has done little to maintain the streets of Charity.”
The Regional Chairman however noted, “I want to make this emphatically clear and I said this before to some media operatives that materials purchased to do maintenance of these roads were deviated to build parks that are underutilized and this is quite unfortunate.
“Previously, materials to do maintenance of roads were procured and stored and our task force from the Roads Department moved into communities in collaboration with the respective councils to do maintenance of internal roads.
“We have ended up with what is called Unity Park, a park which was never utilized for any meaningful activity and which ended up taking away tons and tons of building of roads materials. That is against the Regional Democratic Council. Now Charity and in many other communities, roads are deteriorating.” The Regional Chairman was referring to the parks constructed by Regional Executive Officer, Rupert Hopkinson. All attempts made to contact Mr. Hopkinson proved futile. [Romario Blair]

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