Poor amenities spark protests across Moruga/Tableland

After an elderly couple died in a fire at their Princes Town home on Sunday, Moruga/Tableland constituents protested on Monday over bad roads in the constituency, as they feared a similar fate.

On Sunday, Doodooman "String" Sankar, 79, and his wife Ramdaye Sankar, 84, were killed when a blaze quickly engulfed their home on St Julien’s Road in Princes Town.

When Newsday visited, a relative said he believed the area’s bad roads affected the time it took fire officers from the Princes Town Fire Station to respond.

From 6am on Monday, frustrated residents in Sixth Company, Hindustan and Cachipe Village burnt debris and demanded the authorities fix their roads.

Moruga/Tableland MP Michelle Benjamin told Newsday she supported the protests and empathised with her constituents.

Benjamin said, “We are trying to avoid a similar situation that would have happened in Princes Town where the fire truck could not access the home quickly due to the state of the road. If you know the road network in Moruga/Tableland, God forbid, that could be a reality.

“So I am fighting hard and standing with my constituents to make sure that that never happens.”

Apart from bad roads, she said thee were other reasons for the protests.

“Residents are home (unemployed) and the young people are asking for employment.

“The protest was also to highlight the locust infestation that is affecting farmers and also the villagers."

The areas currently infested are Edwards Trace, La Savanne, Rock River and Buzz Road.”

Benjamin said she has been writing to the Ministry of Works and Transport and different government agencies weekly – depending on how critical the specific issues are – but to no avail.