Residents complain of deplorable Diamond roads

By Ramona Luthi

Residents and taxi operators of Diamond-Grove Housing Scheme on Friday spoke to Guyana Times about the roads within the area, relaying that while some streets have been left to deteriorate, others only last a short time after being repaired.

The Diamond-Grove Housing Scheme, East Bank Demerara, has grown significantly over the years, housing hundreds of residents. However, according to the residents, their main physical issue in the area, is the terrible state of the naked roads.

Residents complained that because of the deteriorated unpaved roads, taxi operators would deny them transportation to their homes, since the bumpy rides take a toll on the vehicles. “I live in 15th Street, and that’s a good way in. The scheme got 21 avenues, excluding avenues A and B. When I stop out at the car park, no body don’t wanna take me home because my street bad. A set of holes along the road. The taxi men saying the road damaging their vehicles,” one resident identified as “Shanta” said.

Another Diamond-Grove inhabitant highlighted that his street consists of “sharp holes” and so whenever he drives along it, his car would “make a hard drop”, and this has caused him trouble since he has to make check-ups with his mechanic more often.

Denise Shortt, of Diamond-Grove told this publication that she has resided in the scheme for a number of years and though repairs have been continuously done on the roads, it has proven fruitless since it restoration does not last for any significant time: “I living in here for years and they keep repairing roads, all the time they repairing and repairing.

What’s the sense of doing temporary repairs? I know it can’t last forever but when they mek the roads, by next two weeks, it bruk-up again. Watch in first bridge deh. They make up the first few front roads and left the others. Why? Just fuh nice up in front? Come on man. This is ridiculous. It’s high time they fix it,” she said.

When Guyana Times spoke to a taxi operator of the scheme, he voiced that though he would at times give in and take people to their homes regardless of the rocky journey to get there, the deplorable roads serves as a great inconvenience to everyone since it proves to not only be tedious but costly to the vehicles that would traverse the area.

“Nobody don’t want go in them bad roads. Sometimes I does feel sorry for people and carry them in but the bad road really keeping people back. You know how much money yuh wasting for pay mechanic every time? And the people that don’t hav cars to carry them in, ga walk in no matter how far. They really should fix it, man,” said the taxi driver.