Fires, roadblocks in Barrackpore protests

RESIDENTS of Gunness Trace, Barrackpore staged fiery protests on Monday over deplorable roads and drainage.

Different parts of the road through Gunness Trace were blocked at different times with burning tyres, branches and other debris. As one section of the road was cleared, residents started another blockade. All of this happened between 9 and 11 am.

During those two hours, some CEPEP workers, police and some media personnel were unable to move from one area to another because of the blockades of burning debris.

Additional police, with the assistance of two backhoes, eventually cleared five blockades in the area, allowing traffic to flow.

Resident Deonarine Singh said, "For far too long we have been having road problems, drainage problems, flood problems."

He added the situation is not only an inconvenience to residents but farmers in the area as well.

Pointing to an agricultural plot, Singh said, "We have a farmer right here, where he lost thousands of heads of cabbage mainly because the natural watercourse was changed."

He claimed this was done by the Works and Transport Ministry's PURE programme.

"They want to bring water uphill, and that is something that we all know is not possible."

Singh also claimed some residents blocked natural watercourses because they did not want water running through their properties.

"This is the reason for all of this flooding (in the area) over the past few weeks and all the time."

The residents protested last week over the same issues.

After that protest, Singh said, officials from the Princes Town Regional Corporation (PTRC) visited.

Two weeks ago, a backhoe arrived and worked for half a day to clear some of the drains.

"The backhoe was removed and it has not returned yet."

He claimed the backhoe that was briefly assigned is now being used to construct a new public cemetery elsewhere.

Singh said corporation officials subsequently brought boulders to fix the roads and drains.

"That material is no good, and we reject that material."

Singh appealed to Moruga/Tableland MP Michelle Benjamin and PTRC chairman Gowrie Roopnarine to meet with residents to address their concerns.

"We don't have money (to fix roads and drains)."

He claimed the PTRC was wasting money by doing poor patching in parts of the area.

"Mediocre work. Halfway work."

Singh said while Benjamin has been in touch with the residents, they do not understand why more sustained work to repair the roads and drains is not being done.

"They (corporation) promised that the backhoe would be here to clear up the drains, so that the material they are putting down (on the roads) will last longer."

Vegetable farmer Arnold Maharaj held up two handfuls of dried cabbage to show the damage that flooding in the area has done to his crops. Maharaj has been growing cabbage, corn and hot peppers in Gunness Trace for the last four years.

"I lost about 20-25 crates of bearing cabbage by the flood and about 20 crates of young plants by this flooding in the area."

He said it was very expensive to plant a single cabbage field and estimated his recent losses at approximately $32,000.

He agreed with Singh about flooding around Gunness Trace being caused by blocked natural watercourses.

"This flooding will never stop, and my crops will always be lost."

He said the flooding has been happening over the last four-five years.

Maharaj has reported his problems to the Agriculture Ministry's office in Princes Town.

Poultry farmer Ramcharran Madhoo has issues with the poor roads affecting his farm's operations at nearby Poui Road.

While the residents were protesting, a truck bringing animal feed to his farm was delayed. Madoo acknowledged this fact.

"Inside where I live, the road is very deplorable and it is difficult for trucks to come in and deliver feed and to remove birds from the farm."

Madoo also said customers who come to buy his farm are reluctant to come because of the poor roads.

"It will impact me financially. If customers refuse to come. If feed is being refused to be delivered to my farm, then my business will suffer."

Madoo said when it rains, the roads near his farm become impassable.

"Trucks get stuck in the slush coming in (to the farm) and that also is a factor. They refuse to come in, because nobody wants to damage their vehicle."