Dear Editor,
As a resident of Schoonord, Parfaite Harmonie, West Bank Demerara for the last 31 months, I have enjoyed the tranquillity and cleanliness of the new housing scheme. However, our community has been plagued with a few small but rather irritating problems, namely:
- The perpetual presence of approximately 50 cows that roam the village, making life extremely uncomfortable for residents. These cows have destroyed vehicles, fences, houses and parapets, and have created a rather filthy environment, especially in the mornings. Owners enter the community almost daily to catch cows, apparently to sell. This practice often causes confusion, with these ‘cowboys’ chasing the animals around the village, lasso and all. We have raised these issues with the owners, who show scant regard for our requests to have their animals removed. Some have even threatened violence. I have been trying to plant some lawn grass to enhance my parapet but this has failed over the last two years because of the destructive nature of the cows and horses.
- An estimated 30% of house lots in the area have not been occupied, leading to extremely thick and tall bush thriving in the area, often reducing 12 ft, two-way roads, to single lane thoroughfares.
- Home owners and those currently constructing their dwellings continue to encumber the roadways with the wanton dumping of loads of sand onto the road, often leaving them there for months. This practice must be curbed. Lawlessness cannot continue unchecked.
- Since moving into Schoonord, residents have experienced, at least twice per month, severe and prolonged bouts of low voltage. As recently as Sunday, 20th September, we had to endure this type of power failure from 5.30am to approximately 11.30pm. Though many telephoned reports were made to GPL throughout the day, the problem took almost 18 hours to fix, since the emergency crew communicated to us that they only received our report at 5pm the said day. This type of incompetence cannot continue.
- The Parfaite Harmonie housing development has been in existence for more than ten years; however, not a single resident has received a landline telephone service from GT&T. This is unacceptable and must be speedily corrected by GTT. Residents have grown tired of the excuses by this utility company; we have been subject to some extremely poor and unreliable internet service from GTT resellers. Some of us who can afford to, are paying $7,500 for 500 kbps (receiving 200 during the greater part of the day, and approximately 700 kbps from 11pm to around 5am), while GTT has upgraded to a lowest speed of 1.5 Mbps at a cost of $4,999, $2,500 less than what residents pay for approximately 1Mbps less of speed. This I find extremely unconscionable, unfair and unethical. There must be some sort of agreement between these resellers and GTT, one of which must be fairness to the end-user, who is the customer. I therefore plead with the management of GTT to kindly ensure that resellers deliver value for money to customers, especially in areas such as Parfaite Harmonie.
We are aware that other issues related to the upkeep of parapets, drainage systems, etc, will be improved once the necessary local government organs are reconstituted and made effective with the advent of local government elections, but the community still expects that certain basic services will be provided to residents.
Yours faithfully,
Jeumayne Dummett
