Some residents of Bush Lot New Housing Scheme are peeved that a contractor who was assigned to fix the streets in the area has taken almost two years to do the job and it is still not completed.
According to them, in 2005 the Social Impact Amelio-ration Programme (SIMAP) signed a contract to resurface seven streets. Residents said that after two weeks the contractor left the work to take on another job.
The residents stated that “five months later he returned and do a little work. Then he come back one month ago and threw some stuff and left it worse than it was. When the place dry, the dust flying all over and we have to keep the windows close.”
They also pointed out that during the rainy weather the streets become slushy and are almost impassable. They said when residents are going to work and school they have to take off their footwear and “paddle in the mud and then go and wash their feet at somebody’s pipe.”
The residents are asking that if the contractor cannot complete the job, “he should hand it over to someone else. Why did he take it on in the first place?”
Stabroek News spoke to an official from SIMAP and he admitted that the project is stalled. He however explained that it was due to the shortage of material.
“First there was the shortage of crusher run and stone and now there is a shortage of tar and bitumen. It is a known problem that there is limited supply of materials in the country and as soon as they are available the work would continue,” the official pointed out. He said the contractor is willing to recommence the work and he has the machinery waiting to do so.
