Recht Door Zee residents lament poor state of roads

With the May-June rainy season rapidly approaching, the residents of Parfaite Harmonie, particularly the Recht Door Zee community, are pleading with the relevant authorities to begin rehabilitating the rapidly deteriorating road network that serves the community.

The Parfaite Harmonie Housing Scheme is one of the largest housing developments in Guyana and is home to thousands of residents, thus proper roads are of paramount importance, according to residents.

“Whenever the rain fall, the hole in the road is flooded out and we can’t use them. Plenty time we does have to go to the man that does make blocks and collect the break up ones and full up the hole,” Bibi Ally said.

Ally indicated that she has been living in Recht Door Zee for more than five years and the state of the road has only worsened over the years. She added that along with roads plagued with potholes, there was also the issue of the maintenance of road shoulders.

“We have plenty bush at the sides of the road and when you have to walk in the street night time it is dangerous because people does be hiding in there and does want to attack and rob you,” Ally added.

Another resident, Tony Bhudnarine, told Guyana Times that along with the overgrowth of bushes and the deplorable state of the roads, the community also suffers because taxi drivers refuse to traverse the area.

One taxi driver, Ramesh Persaud told this newspaper that he refused to take passengers into certain areas in the housing scheme because the poor roads damage his vehicle.

“When I take passengers through the road with plenty potholes, it does damage the car tyre and the brakes pad and the shocks…car parts really expensive too,” he declared.

The residents complained that the state of the roads has been hindering the community development and easy access to goods and services, since providers are refusing to traverse the bad roads, causing residents to be disadvantaged. Hence, they are intensifying their pleas to the relevant authorities to provide them with some form of relief since the rainy season is just around the corner.

They are also calling on the Government to repossess unoccupied house lots since they are left to be taken over with weeds and many times are safe harbours for dangerous reptiles and criminal elements. They noted that the unoccupied house lots also attract cattle from the neighbouring villages of Canal Number One Polder and Independence Street. They reported that these animals often graze on the empty lots and would move onto their lands resulting in damage to their flowers and pipes. They noted that the errant animal owners were never to be seen when damage occurs.

It was also observed by this newspaper that residents were using the main access road to mix concrete for construction work and, in doing so, they were hindering the smooth flow of traffic.

Efforts to contact the Central Planning and Housing Authority (CH&PA) Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Lelon Saul proved futile.