Dear Editor,
I am a resident of Novar, Mahaicony district and the owner of two transport trucks from which I make my living. Whenever I have to do a delivery in Guyadat Singh Street (Novar School dam) I get worried. Residents in the street hire me to transport building materials, etc, and coming off the main highway entering the said street there are huge holes (ponds) which have been there for the past four or five years now. Kids use that same street to go to school. In the rainy season many of the small ones fall down and dirty their uniforms and themselves, while the mini-buses do not take the children to the school entrance any more because their buses are damaged by the potholes. I remember residents complained to the President Bharrat Jagdeo about the potholes during his election campaign. He gave instructions to the Regional Chairman and the village to get the road fixed, and said whenever he returned he must not see these holes again.

He came back three times after that and up to now nothing has been done; the potholes are bigger. The President’s voice was not heard.

Also there is a resident who has a truck chassis and an old truck on the side of the street impeding traffic. In addition, some snackettes have been constructed opposite the school. They are permanent structures, and whenever I have to pass with my truck especially when school is dismissed I cannot pass because the place is so congested. I fear that the kids may run into my vehicle, so I find it hard to make my delivery. The former Minister Mr Nawbatt said he would clear all derelict and illegal structures on the government reserve, and Mr Robeson Benn said the same, but it was just a lot of noise and nothing was done. I am wondering if this street is exempted from being cleared, although a street in Dundee was cleared. Minister of Agriculture Mr Robert Persaud was told of the holes on the street at a meeting at Novar School. He too promised to look into it, or at least inform the relevant authority.

Minister Priya Manickchand even gave instructions for the removal of the snackettes as they cause destruction and are built on the government reserve. These stalls are about 36 feet in length and 12 feet in width, so there is not enough left for the students and vehicles. She said she had nothing against people selling their snacks, but they could not have permanent structures; they should take away their tray or whatever they use to display their stuff at the end of the day.
Yours faithfully,
Jewan Persaud
Editor’s note
We are sending copies of this letter to Minister Robeson Benn and Chairman of the Mahaica/Abary NDC, Mr Bindhran Bisnauth, for any comments they may wish to make.