Residents angry over shortcuts closure

Residents who live on private property in the oilfields once operated by Petrotrin are objecting to the decision by one of its successor companies Heritage Petroleum Co Ltd to close the field roads after hours. They are calling on the company to reconsider the decision.

In a release on January 16, Heritage advised that with immediate effect field roads in the company’s acreage will be closed to the public and all non-authorised employees, during the hours of 6 pm to 5 am every day.

The roads to be closed include the Santa Flora field Road located at Lot 10, the Santa Flora Field Road located at Bennet Village, Santa Flora and the Forest Reserve Field Road.

For years people in the deep south have used these roads through the fields as short cuts to reduce their commute time to Point Fortin, Siparia, Fyzabad, Erin, Santa Flora and environs.

Heritage said in its statement that the closure would have become necessary to improve the safety and security in those areas.

The company further advised that during the specified hours only authorised personnel and vehicular traffic, as well as the police service and emergency vehicles will be allowed in these areas.

Those authorised to use the roads are asked to proceed with caution and observe all directional signs and barriers, to drive at reduced speed on approaching the barriers, comply with instructions from both the static and mobile security and ensure company identification is visible at all times.

Heritage said it regrets the inconvenience caused and advised all other persons to use alternative routes.

Mc Donald Mahase who said hunters have been blocked from hunting in this area during the open hunting season said this latest decision by Heritage is “madness”.

“There are people living in these areas on private property, what will happen to them if they stay out late at nights. What would happen if they miss the curfew by a few minutes? Does it mean they will have to sleep on the road?”

Mahase said while Petrotrin was in operation, “gates were manned 24/7 and were accessible to people who lived in the area and even those who did not work with the company once they had a legitimate reason to pass though the gates.”