Den Amstel residents decry poor state of roads, drainage

More than 150 residents of Den Amstel turned out on Sunday to meet with Minister of State, Joseph Harmon, when he and his team visited the community during a public outreach.
Among the issues raised were poor roads, and major drainage and irrigation issues.

A resident, Lola Isaacs, said the last section of the main road within the community was “extremely bad” and urged the Government to do something immediately about it. “I find it extremely difficult to stroll out whenever it rains because of the bad condition of the road; as you can see, it is in a very bad state,” Isaacs said.
Another resident agreed with her, adding that the drainage system also needed attention.
Harmon assured the residents that the road, which was allegedly destroyed by a construction company, would be repaired this year, as an allocation in this year’s budget has already been made.
He urged them to exercise patience, explaining that all of the issues could not be addressed at once. However, he assured them that all of the concerns raised have been noted.
Member of Parliament (MP) for Region Three (Essequibo Islands-West Demerara), John Adams called on the residents to be patient, stating that things would get better in the Region.
Meanwhile, Region Three Deputy Regional Executive Officer Jennifer Ferreira claimed that many of the issues faced by residents in Den Amstel were inherited. Neighbourhood Democratic Council (Hague-Blankenburg) Chairman Kenton Hilliman, who was also present for that meeting, said he has been asked to look into the same issues.
“Many requests are being made…demands cannot always be met at the same time,” he too noted.
Harmon encouraged the residents to hold their respective council members sitting on the various Regional Democratic Councils (RDCs) and NDCs accountable.
The meeting was also attended by Minister within the Natural Resources Ministry, Simona Broomes.