Section ‘M’ Campbellville residents want drainage, other improvements
-councillor says city cash-strapped
Residents of Section `M’ Campbellville says that they feel as though the city and authorities responsible for drainage, irrigation and other facilities have neglected them over the years and are calling for these problems to be fixed.
Last week, a resident of Section M Campbellville penned a letter to Stabroek News titled ‘Section M Campbellville has been forgotten’. The writer noted their concern that the community has been an area that has been forgotten by the government and city council. The writer said that when they had moved to that section of Campbellville in 1984, the government and the council of the day ensured that drains and canals were regularly cleaned, but in the mid 1990’s it stopped.
During a visit to the residential community yesterday, Stabroek News was shown by a few of the residents the problems they were facing at Section M. Section M Campbellville lacks proper drainage and weeds have taken over most of the trenches and a small field that sits in the middle of community.
The residents who wished for their identities not to be disclosed said that they all pay their rates and taxes and expect works to be done regularly. “I cannot tell you the last time I saw anyone from the council come to clean this place and I have been here for 8 years, it’s the residents who chip in and try to pull this place” the resident said.
According to him if there is any problem with the roads or a GWI pipe leaks, residents would normally pool their money to get it fixed. “This should not be so, why am I paying taxes then, when we have to fix these things ourselves and not all the time we have the money to do it”, the resident argued. According to the villagers of the community, the biggest problems they face within the area is flooding. “You have to say every time the rain decides to smile on us, there is a flood and we are absolutely tired of it.”
The residents of the section called on the necessary authorities, the councillors who are in charge of their constituency to fix the drainage and maintain the field and roads in the community.
“These councillors, only know you and this place, when they want votes for the Local Government Elections, when the elections done and they win, they forget all about you and the community and I mean it’s not fair to us at all” the resident lamented.
Junior Garrett, the councillor responsible for Section M Campbellville, told Stabroek News in a brief interview yesterday that the problem the residents are facing is not the problem of the council but is a national problem. He said that the situation does not only exist in that particular section but other communities and the reason for this is because the council does not have money to clean the drains and clean the community.
“The Council is cashstrapped at this time and we are asking businessmen to pay up their rates and taxes on time”. Garrett said. The councillor who is not pleased about the situation, said that what he is however proud of so far is that the community has a regularized garbage disposal system that is running smoothly.