With McDougal Street, Kitty left in ruin in the wake of works done by the Courtney Benn Contracting Services Limited (CBCSL) in the area, there is no word on whether rehabilitation of the roadway will be done or who would be responsible for it.
Stabroek News first became aware of the condition of the road in September, after residents complained about damage to the road done by the contracting service, which was hired to construct a concrete drain between McDougal and Middleton Streets, Kitty.
After a delay in the start of the works, residents stated that they were shocked to find that the contracting service had “ruined” McDougal Street. “An excavator was brought in to dig up the drain, but I didn’t have to be an engineer to tell that the thing was way too heavy,” said one resident. “The thing end up brucking up the road and leaving it in a completely deplorable state.”
According to residents, because of the damage done by the excavator, work came to a stand still and the excavator was removed.
Works on the drain subsequently recommenced and were completed. However, the damage that was done to the road by the excavator remains. A check of the road last Monday revealed signs of deterioration since Stabroek News last visited the site in September. More than 70% of McDougal Street has been left unpaved, with a significant portion of the unpaved road being uneven. In addition to this, the latter half of the road which remains paved had been badly damaged.
In a letter to Stabroek News, published on October 7, 2012, Darren Nurse, Senior Manager of CBCSL, acknowledged “some inevitable damage” to the street, which was “caused by the excavator.”
Nurse said the damage was “unavoidable,” while adding that the excavator in use was recommended by the Public Works Ministry as was the street to be used to access the site. When contacted by this newspaper, an official from the contracting service admitted that it is aware of the state that the road has been left in. When asked if the service is planning to undertake works to rectify the damage done, the official stated that he was not sure if they were going to approach it. He also stated that all information relating to the project was confidential and that he would be unable to provide any further information on the issue.
In a letter published in the September 29, 2012 edition of Stabroek News, Jennie Charran noted that McDougal Street was the only proper entrance/exit to Owen Street, since the other end of the street has huge holes. “Vehicles which are low would incur damage whilst traversing this area,” she wrote.
Charran criticised CBCSL for going ahead with the construction of the drain despite the obvious damage being done to the road and the likely attendant cost. “Imagine we are breaking a road to build a drain? So now when this project is over, we have no proper road to drive on; maybe we would have to resort to driving in the concrete drains?” she wrote. She also appealed to the responsible authority to visit the area and have a firsthand look at the damage that was being done, taking into consideration the taxpayers’ money that is being wasted and to also address the situation.
She appealed too to the relevant authorities on behalf of the residents of Owen Street to fix the huge holes at the western end of the street, thereby allowing an alternative entrance/exit, especially in the case of an emergency.
