Protestors trip Jagdeo's Lodge walkabout
Stabroek News
May 25, 2004
President Bharrat Jagdeo's walkabout of the Lodge area yesterday was marred by noisy protesters who trailed the entourage throughout the tour, calling for a "proper investigation" into the Gajraj affair.
The walkabout, aimed at a discourse between Jagdeo and residents, brought out members of the PNCR, who held the same placards used in the rule-of-law marches and clanged big bells. At the Community Centre in Lodge, the police tried to force some of the protestors out of the compound but a few slipped inside and kept up their noise.
PPP/C Member of Parliament Cyril Belgrave chased some of them from the compound telling them to "Go outside and make your noise!"
Despite the din, Jagdeo promised residents that they would benefit from streetlights, remedial drainage work and relief from mosquitoes through fogging.
A committee made up of residents will help to manage the drainage work.
One of the first speakers asked him to address the problems associated with the Mandela Avenue dumpsite, which she said smelled and burned on its own because of the methane gas trapped inside. Jagdeo gave the assurance that the remedial work that the Mayor and City Council is doing would be ongoing. He said work is also being done to upgrade the Mandela Avenue dumpsite until the Eccles landfill is completed.
Jagdeo and Mayor Hamilton Green both said that steps would be taken to address the problem of the waste pickers who scavenge the dumpsite and reintroduce dumped items onto the market, especially in the Lodge area. Green said these waste pickers would be registered and that the activity would be done in a structured way.
One of the residents also said the junction of Mandela Avenue and Joseph Pollydore Street needed a traffic light, because of the number of accidents that occurred there. Stabroek News has observed that that intersection is indeed a dangerous one, since drivers cannot see the oncoming traffic unless they venture out some distance over the stop line on Joseph Pollydore Street.
Another resident complained that there were a number of illegal structures being erected over trenches, and this involved filling the trenches with earth.
The President was accompanied by Green; Minister of Transport and Hydraulics Anthony Xavier; Minister in the Ministry of Local Government Clinton Collymore; and Presidential Adviser on Empowerment, Odinga Lumumba.
During the walk, before the meeting started, Jagdeo saw first-hand the state of various streets.