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Paddy drying on Berbice roads a concern for drivers and police
Recently, at a meeting with farmers from Region Five, senior ranks from B’ Division including Commander Clifton Hicken, the issue of paddy drying along the road with objects placed near became a major issue of concern.
Over the years there have been complaints about farmers using almost half of the road to dry their paddy during harvesting season, an action that hinders the use of the roadways by drivers and other road users.
Traffic Head in the Division, Timothy Williams, stressed that the paddy reduces the width of the road and this can be a recipe for accidents. He appealed to farmers to desist from drying paddy on the roadways.
According to Williams, “Once paddy is on the road, it encourages animals.” He urged the farmers to also avoid placing huge objects such as tyres, concrete blocks and drums near the paddy on the road. He stated that his main concern is for drivers who traverse the road daily especially persons who are unfamiliar with the routes. “This could be a major problem”.
The traffic head explained that they are currently working to have awareness programmes on television for the farmers to help them to understand the dangers of having the paddy laid out on the roadways, while it is a crucial stage for paddy harvesting, it can be extremely dangerous for road users.
Paddy drying along the Number 43 Public Road with objects alongside it
“We will do awareness programmes but at the same time we have to exercise some flexibility because the farmers of course are contributing to the economy so we cannot be too drastic at the same time. We can’t overlook safety,” Williams added
He disclosed that if the farmers are not paying heed to the request of the police, then moves will be made to engage the Regional Democratic Councils and Neighbourhood Democratic Councils since it is not a battle for the police alone.
In 2016, a paddy drying facility was opened at Number 56 Village with the expectation of doing over 350 bags of paddy per hour. It was done so that farmers won’t have to restort to using the roadway to dry the paddy, however, farmers have not been utilizing the facility as should. It is being run by the Guyana Rice Development Board (GRDB).
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