Dear Editor,
The Stabroek Business article published May 10, under the caption ‘PSC, Georgetown Chambers at odds over seawall lime ban’ reveals a mindset of the (GCCI) President Clinton Urling that is very troubling.
Mr Urling is quoted as saying that “he believes the reasons given by the Works Ministry for banning the weekly Sunday evening seawall lime” were not sustainable as the issues “can be managed.” Managed by whom? The Mayor and City Councillors of Georgetown! Please! Where has Mr Urling been living?
It is a fact that every Sunday evening going on into the wee hours of Monday morning the seawall area is converted into a lawless party zone, where the southern parapets are used to house various vending activities resulting in the degradation of the grass and topsoil, exposing the concrete foundation. This area was not built for this purpose.
It is also a fact that plastic containers and styrofoam boxes and other non-biodegradable materials are left to clog up the drains on the southern side of the seawall and are also dumped on the northern side.
Garbage is also dumped in the trench that runs parallel along the southern carriageway of the East Coast Highway from Liliendaal to the western end of Subryanville, as well as on the revetment work on the northern side of the trench running the same distance. As a result almost all the drains are blocked up leaving the residents of western Liliendaal, Bel Air Springs, Bel Air Gardens and Subryanville vulnerable to the smallest amount of rainfall. The playfield in Bel Air Gardens becomes a virtual garbage-made lake.
Apart from the sanitation problem, and the urine and faeces that are left on the parapets in Subryanville and Bel Air Gardens, there is the noise and security concerns that grip this community. Complaints have been made public for years now but Mr Urling like Rip Van Winkle suddenly wakes up when profits are threatened.
Further, if Mr Urling had checked his historical facts he would have found out that the free lime he supports originally was held on the seawall between Camp Street and where Celina Resort is located, so the Minister is not reinventing the wheel but simply moving Mr Urling’s fête back to its original location.
It is a weak argument to say that there would be a loss of income to some vendors when juxtaposed against the environmental and infrastructural concerns of the current area under flood threat. So it is clear that Mr Urling is putting the profit of a few before the health and safety of a significantly large number of persons.
I cannot help but wonder if Mr Urling’s view would have been different if the lime he supports were held in the prestigious Lamaha Avenue-Bel Park residential area, or around German’s Restaurant where he conducts his business.
I am therefore voicing support for Minister Robeson Benn for the proactive approach he has taken. I believe I speak for the overwhelming majority of persons who live in the Liliendaal, Bel Air Springs, Bel Air Gardens, Subryanville area, who say well done Minister!
Yours faithfully,
Jerome Khan
