By Arthur Green, Freelance WriterST. THOMAS:
RESIDENTS IN Eastern St. Thomas are up in arms about the continuos damage to the road surface by heavy duty cane vehicles which, they claim, are adding to the already poor state of roads in that part of the Island.
Speaking through their local representative Councillor Beresford Steel of the Dalvy Division who made it clear that repeated attempts have been made to get the management of the St. Thomas Sugar Company to take corrective action nothing has been done.
SOMETHING MUST BE DONE
"It is evident that the people who can bring about measurable change are reluctant to do so and something must be done; as a people we cannot afford to continue to have repairs done to public road (due) to damage done by private concern," said Mr. Steel.
In supporting the call, former Deputy Mayor of Morant Bay Lance Comrie noted that "where canes are planted so close to the road surface, that too has become problematic for the motoring public and this is unacceptable".
Both men were speaking at
a meeting in Morant Bay recently.
It was suggested that
elsewhere in the sugar industry the roads that other users have to use are cleaned up after haulage and efforts to use
surface covers across roadways have reduced tremendous
damage when heavy metal wheel vehicles are employed .
SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITIES
The communities in and around the region where
plantings are carried out have maintained that they deserve more and better social responsibilities from those benefiting from the community.
Councillors Steel and Comrie want immediate compliance on the part of the offending organisation; if not, appropriate sanction must be applied. "It is hoped that good sense will prevail and the need to take punitive active can be averted," said Mr. Comrie.
