Grove neighbours tussle over noise from vulcanizing shop

Jun 25, 2024 News

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– EPA promises to investigate complaint

Kaieteur News – The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is set to investigate a complaint made by Annabella Joseph of Section C, Block Y, Golden Grove, East Bank Demerara about a recently established vulcanizing shop that she says is the source of noise nuisance by way of its daily operations.

This issue has resulted in disagreements between Joseph and ‘Mr. Ganesh’, the proprietor of the shop, who resides obliquely opposite the woman. Searching for relief, Ms. Joseph has reached out to the police, the Golden Grove/Diamond NDC, and the EPA, and after much back and forth on which agency is actually responsible for investigating the matter, she is hopeful that the EPA’s investigation will be able to resolve the matter.

Joseph claims that the vulcanizing shop operates from approximately 06:30 hrs. to 18:00 hrs., but often goes later into the night, and during that time, she endures the whirring and banging noises of vehicle repair ringing through all parts of her house. Additionally, she alleges that, since the vulcanizing shop services many large vehicles that travel to and from the interior/hinterland regions, they create obstruction to the narrow roadway and at times there are multiple vehicles parked on both sides of the street. She says that she has attempted to speak with Ganesh, the owner of the establishment, on several occasions, but he has not been receptive. Recalling an incident where one of the large trucks obstructed the entrance to her property, she said, “I tried to approach him nicely, he told me that I have to go and look for the truck man; but I told him that the truck people coming to you, so he told me that ‘go to who you want to go to because I have contacts at the NDC’, he’s a very difficult person to approach, even though you try to be nice he would start cursing.”

On the other side of the coin, however, Ganesh says that he has been faced with opposition from Ms. Joseph since he opened his tyre shop, as she has taken issue with it and has been complaining to several authorities and galvanizing support from neighbours against him. “Six weeks now I open my business and this lady tormenting me,” he said, “me and this lady never had a problem but since this tyre shop move by me, it’s an issue for this lady every day. Whole day she deh at the station, she nah get satisfaction deh?”

Additionally, he claimed that, in part because of Ms. Joseph’s complaints, he has operated during very strict and respectful business hours. “Me don’t work Sundays, I don’t work holidays, because of this same problem; and I open from seven in the morning to five-thirty in the afternoon, I don’t work late. One night I work late and I very vex, and I tell me worker them after this night me ain’t working back late. After that, seven in the morning [is when we start, and] five-thirty we close, we ain’t working later than duh.”

When asked if he believes that his business produces any noise pollution, Ganesh responded, “No, the only thing that makes noise here is my compressor, and my compressor deh till down at the back of the yard. It does make lil noise but as I tell you, she house deh two house away from me… and me side neighbour ain’t got a problem with it… it’s only this one person making trouble with we.”

Ms. Joseph claims that Mr. Ganesh was verbally abusive to her, cursing her out when she attempts to discuss the matter with him, and Mr. Ganesh claims the same about Ms. Joseph’s husband, who he says he has known for some time and reached out to repeatedly with hopes of resolving the matter.  He also denies the claims that he said he has favourable connections at the NDC, saying “If she got me saying that on record, she could bring it and prove it. Me ain’t got nobody nowhere; me ain’t got nobody at NDC, nobody at the police, nothing.”

According to Joseph, she reached out to the police, but they informed her that the relevant authorities for the issue were either the EPA or her NDC.  She then called the EPA and made a complaint on June 4^th, and was able to speak to an EPA official, who she informed of the incident. However, after a week passed without her receiving a response, she decided to visit the office in person in an attempt to make a formal, written complaint.

During her interview with Kaieteur News, she produced a copy of a letter addressed to the EPA that she says she delivered to their Ganges Street office on June 11^th, complete with signatures from Joseph and three other neighbours. She was able to meet with the same official she spoke to over the phone the previous week, who told her that the agency would investigate the matter and contact her. He also advised her to visit the NDC. She claims that several of her neighbours have the same complaints and at least one had reached out to the relevant authorities —the Golden Grove/Diamond Neighbourhood Democratic Council and the Environmental Protection Agency­—, before she did. After leaving the EPA, Joseph says she visited the NDC, where she was able to speak with clerks at the front desk, who told her that they were unaware of the issue and had not received any previous complaints, which she says is untrue.

Nevertheless, she lodged her complaint and proceeded to show the NDC staff videos of the activity at the vulcanizing shop, after which they informed her they would investigate. Joseph noted that she was not able to speak to the NDC chairman herself, but her husband did at a statutory meeting on another day. When asked for comments on the matter, Golden Grove/Diamond Scheme NDC Chairman Rajendra Paul said that he was aware of the ongoing issue, however, much of it is beyond the jurisdiction of his agency, and instead falls under the responsibility of other agencies, such as the EPA and police force.

“I’m aware of it; the gentleman [Annabella Joseph’s husband], I entertained him at our statutory meeting and he would’ve shown us some videos regarding the noise pollution, but then, remember, the NDC, we can only do so much, you have other agencies that are responsible. For example, that is an environmental issue and I advised him to contact the EPA on this matter. Also, [we informed him] that with regards to noise nuisance, he needs to contact the police,” Paul said. “We did our part already, through the sanitary department; we would have spoken to the gentleman [Mr. Ganesh], and we are in the process now of giving him something in writing but like I said, the other agency also has to play their part, which is the EPA and the police,” he continued.

With regards to the claims of Ganesh having some kind of sway at the NDC, the chairman said that he was aware of the claims but could not confirm them. He informed the interviewer that one of his councilors alerted him of it, but there has been no substantive confirmation.

Based on Mr. Ganesh’s statements, however, it seems that the EPA has indeed begun to investigate the matter, as he says that they contacted him concerning it, but he welcomes the investigation. “You know she went at EPA and call EPA on me; why you doing all these nonsense? EPA say they coming, I tell them ayuh welcome fuh come,” he said. A representative of the EPA also informed this publication that a complaint has indeed been lodged, and that the corresponding document (complaint form) was handed over to field officers who will conduct an investigation “the next time they are on the East Bank of Demerara.” The representative did not put an exact timeframe on the investigation but advised that it could take place “as early as this week.”

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• complaint, EPA, NDC, NOISE, vulcanizing shop

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