Victoria residents in roads protest

Residents of Victoria on the East Coast of Demerara this morning came out with placards protesting the deplorable state of their main access road and are calling on the Government to urgently intervene.

“The residents of Victoria are distressed, they are perturbed and they feel neglected. It is not just the main access road but it is all of the roads leading in to Victoria and we don’t think this is right,” one villager told Stabroek News by phone.

The woman said about 40 villagers with placards were on the roadway and the police were out to control the traffic. She explained that persons with vehicles and the many taxi drivers have been complaining bitterly for a long time about the roads and the situation has brought tremendous hardship to the villagers.

Asked about the Neighbourhood Democratic Council, the villager said the council is unable to do the magnitude of work that is needed since it receives $5M for capital works and there are some 19 villages that fall under the council.

“This is capital expenditure and it is for the Ministry of Public Infrastructure to do the roads. I am told that the last time the main road was done was in 1992 and since then it has just been patch work,” the villager said.

She added that while all communities should be treated fairly it should be noted that Victoria is a heavy supporter of the Government and it is unbelievable that after all this time in office their main access road, which has been in neglect for years, cannot be fixed.

“Roads are being fixed all over the place, what about Victoria,” the woman questioned.

Victoria is a village rich with history as it is one of the first villages purchased by freed slaves.