The infrastructure of the Rupununi is crumbling

Dear Editor,

Mr Patrick Fitzpatrick‘s letter in KN of August 28, titled ‘Linden complains but Aishalton suffers,‘ has highlighted some of the sufferings in the Rupununi. These are but some of the infrastructural sufferings that the people of the Rupununi are having to face at the moment. Everyone is wondering what is happening to our region and if this is the reward that we are reaping for voting PPP/C.

For a very long time the people of the South Rupununi have suffered during the rainy season because whenever there is very heavy rainfall and the creeks become flooded, the South Rupununi is cut off from Lethem because the main bridge crossing the Rupununi broke more than three years ago. Our regional administration – the members of which are ironically all locals – and government have not deemed this vital bridge important enough to fix. To add insult to injury, the other access route which could be used when the creeks are high but not flooded, broke a year ago when a popular local road contractor who was undertaking repairs on the road  drove his heavy duty machinery onto a bridge causing it to collapse. This contractor, who has the means and equipment to fix the bridge, simply upped and left the location leaving the broken bridge and causing untold suffering to the people of the South Rupununi who are forced to spend days on the road whenever the creeks are high. Again, the locally based hierarchy of the regional administration did not see the importance of fixing this bridge or they simply did not care for the plight of the local people.

In Lethem, the community is wondering what exactly is happening with the Lethem Power Company (LPC). They rationed the electricity supply when the protests in Linden blocked off the fuel supply. It is now over a week since the road reopened but the rationed electricity remains. No one in authority, either at LPC or the regional officials, is informing the public as to exactly why the situation remains the same. They could at least have the courtesy to inform the public as to the reason why the rationing is ongoing and when it will return to normal. This is not the first time that LPC has done this. Earlier in the year when there was the flood and also when the GT/Lethem road was allegedly impassable they rationed electricity and took weeks to restore it to normalcy even though the flood waters receded and the road reopened. Lethem is now a thriving community and depends on a stable electricity supply, but there are worrying signs that all is not well with this utility.

Also in Lethem, the road network is so bad that it can no longer be called roads with a straight face. Everywhere you turn these roads are full of veritable potholes and craters. Most of the driving is now on the parapets because cars can get stuck on the main road. Again, this new regional administration has done absolutely nothing to improve the situation, even though this problem has been in existence since last year. Actually, it was mere weeks after the contractor completed ‘building’ these roads last year that they started breaking up. Locals now cynically say that Linden dug up its road in protest, but it seems that Lethem has a phantom group digging up our roads from a long time ago. There was a recent NDC IMC installed but they, like their predecessors, are unable to offer any improvement to the community. The worst patch of road is right in front of their office.

There was much hope for the GT/Lethem road when various sections were sub-contracted to various contractors, including some of the biggest names in road construction. Alas, it seems that this format is worse than the original system. A high profile contractor who is supposed to look after the stretch of road from Kurupukari to Lethem is reportedly also fixing the road from Lethem to Aishalton. This is a distance of  over 200 miles, and the company has a few items of aging equipment, including a grader, excavator and a few dump trucks, etc, that are supposed to maintain this entire stretch. It is little wonder that there is very little or no road maintenance being done. It is a similar situation on the stretch of road from Kurupukari to Linden, where this part has also deteriorated, though there is more frequent evidence of road maintenance. Something needs to be urgently done to improve this vital road network. Lethem is now too big a business community to have such poor roads.

It is ironic that a region that voted overwhelmingly for this government is being so poorly rewarded. This is a clear sign that our region is not deemed important to this government. It seems that our cause is not helped by an apparently weak regional administration which seems to be scared of its own shadow, is reportedly consumed by internal infighting and appears not to be representing the concerns of the people efficiently. The opposition politicians are also nowhere to be seen.

Since the last elections they have apparently completely disappeared off the Rupununi radar. No one seems to have any interest in the Rupununi. We probably have very little political power so no one is interested in our plight.

Whatever the reason, the infrastructure of the Rupununi is crumbling before our very eyes and nothing is being done to stem the deterioration.

The residents are urging the President to visit the Rupununi and see for himself how our infrastructure is crumbling. He needs to identify the cause and be urged to take remedial action. If it is the regional administration that is not properly representing the concerns of the people then he should remove them. If the contractors are doing sub-standard work then he should remove them. Urgent action is needed immediately.

The people of the Rupununi would like to see a proactive response from our government rather than a reactive one.

Yours faithfully,
(Name and address provided)