Glasgow, Edinburgh residents protest deteriorating condition of bridges

By Andrew Carmichael

Residents of Glasgow and Edinburgh villages on the East Bank of the Berbice River are calling on the relevant authorities to intervene and execute immediate repair works on the bridges that link the communities to other parts of the East Berbice-Corentyne region.

Joining the call for immediate infrastructural interventions were the taxi drivers and other vehicle operators who provide services to the affected communities.
On Wednesday, the residents and operators decided that enough is enough and they have suffered for far too long so they called in the media. When Guyana Times visited the communities, the residents were quick to express their displeasure at the lack of vision by the authorities.
Over at Glasgow New Housing Scheme, the residents reported that the bridge has not seen any repairs for over a decade despite their repeated complaints to authorities at the New Amsterdam municipality.
The housing settlement has two entrances and both are in a dire state. In fact, some residents are thinking of shutting down the bridge since it is the main reason for thousands of dollars in damages to vehicles traversing it.
One resident, Bebi Yadram, told this publication that vehicles are refusing to take passengers into the housing scheme because of the condition of the access bridge.
“I am very concerned about this bridge. It is since 1999 this bridge has been fixed or repaired. Immediate work is needed on it,” she said while relating that a “dray cart” was stuck for some time on the bridge on Wednesday morning.
Hire car driver and Glasgow Housing Scheme resident, Abdul Khan said that the community is being neglected by both Regional and Central Government. According to him, Social Protection Minister Amna Ally was in New Amsterdam a few years ago and he raised the issue with her. Promises were made but no follow-up was done.
“I told her [Ally] about the bridge, the conditions of the road and also the garbage and she promised that Government will be looking into it. So far, I have not seen anything being done. Every day I traverse this road and only yesterday a driver damage he car right here on the bridge. So, we are asking the Government to look into the matter,” Khan pleaded.
Meanwhile, Municipal Representative Nalini Tahal told Guyana Times that the residents have been bombarding her to get action but she believes that she is not getting the needed support at the New Amsterdam municipality.
“I reported it several times and nobody seems to be paying any attention. I reported it to the Mayor and Town Council. I even spoke to the Regional Chairman how about it…the Town Council told me that it is budgeted for in the Ministry of Housing budget but I am not sure about that. Even if it is a bit of repairs, something, it needs to be done,” Tahal related.
A vehicle operator, Dwayne Laagadou, reported that as drivers, they were going to take action, relating that they have been complaining for months about the state of the bridge at Glasgow.
“Everyone that use this bridge fearful of it. So we as hire car drivers have decided to come here today to see how we can put a temporary fix so this bridge because as drivers we need the bridge especially when you have to use this scheme and go over to the other scheme a lot of time. So, if this one is not functional then it defeats the purpose,” he said.
The drivers and residents pooled together their resources and labour to place a temporary fix on a permanent problem. They remain hopeful that the authorities will be a bit considerate and come up with a permanent solution.
Meanwhile, concerns have also been expressed over the state of the roads in the community which is home to more than 5000 residents.
Mitford Ward, one of the community’s representatives and a senior resident of the community, assured that Government will be stepping in. Ward told Guyana Times that he was at a meeting where the issue was discussed.
“I am aware that the work was advertised. I was at a meeting where it was discussed and we were assured that the two main entrances along with the main road running in the middle of the scheme will be fixed. It was advertised but I cannot say at this moment what is the status of the tender or the tender process. As it is right now, it is important that we get some temporary relief. Even if the construction of a new bridge in the making it is still urgent that we get some temporary relief right now. It would not be much to just block that hole even if it is done with planks so that we can drive over safely,” he informed.
Ward said that is all they are asking for at the moment since he has confidence that the bridges and the road will be repaired.
Even with that being said, the bridge at Edinburgh linking the entire East Bank Berbice and which was recently reconstructed by the Public Infrastructure Ministry under the East Bank Berbice Road Rehabilitation programme is also in need of urgent repair.