Even as the Administration continues to downplay the deteriorated state of the Linden to Lethem road, which has been creating hardships for road users, particularly minibus operators and businesses, the condition of the trail continues to worsen.
With no efforts being made by the Administration to remedy the issue, road users are left to push through by any means necessary to secure their daily bread.
Minibus operators, who over the past two weeks were forced to park their buses due to the state of the road, are now back on the trail but this time with a new initiative whereby they transport passengers and goods up to a certain point that their minibuses can reach then transfer those goods and passengers onto pickups and ATVs that continue the journey into the mining town.
This in itself is posing new challenges for passengers and businesses who now have to pay two fares to get into Mahdia.
Further, consumers are feeling the squeeze as businesses were forced to inflate their prices to offset the transportation cost. A route 72 minibus operator, Lionel Gilkes, who spoke to Guyana Times International on Monday, explained that he along with other operators took the decision to go back out to work since they were facing economic hardships and were not able to take care of their families. “We had to make a decision, it’s hard on that trail. You see these pictures, seeing is one thing but actually having to drive there, that’s something totally different.
But I was home for three weeks, no money. We had to do something and this is the best we could do. We thought the strike would have allowed for the Government to do something for us even if is to say they will fix parts and when, anything, but nothing.
It’s clear this Government is not for the poor people, they are for themselves alone and their families,” he stated.
Further, a small-scale businessman, who gave his name only as Perry, also reached out to this publication and said that businesses are now forced to pay double fare to take their goods into Mahdia.
He explained that a usually G$8000 trip is now costing as much as G$16,000 and sometimes G$20,000 to get goods into the town.
“This is stress for us that have to pay double to get our stocks into Mahdia. Usually, it’s about G$7-8000 per seat which would take you straight into Mahdia…now you have to pay that plus an additional 8 or more depending on how much goods you have. When you calculate that, it’s a lot. Imagine now you gotta up your prices just to offset this exorbitant sum, it’s killing the people man. Is poor people. This is pure suffering. This Government doing bare stupidity. Killing out the small man…pressure too much on the people. I hope people opening their eyes and seeing well is what really going on here,” the frustrated Perry opined.
This ongoing issue of the deteriorated Linden to Lethem road has been a bother for those traversing that roadway. Several concerns were raised in this regard by those users who reached out to this publication on several occasions to have their views heard.
Videos, photographs and live feeds complaining of the state of that road were also shared on social media over the past weeks.
Meanwhile, Toshao of Toka Village, Region Nine (Upper Takatu-Upper Essequibo), Eugene Isaac in a video aired on the Government’s Department of Public Information website last week claimed that nothing is wrong with the road. He rather commended the Government’s “great work” being done on the said roadway.
He said the Linden to Lethem road was in great shape as it is not impassible but only has a “few holes”.
The Public Infrastructure Ministry’s Public Relations Officer, Krest Cummings, last week in an invited comment on this issue told this publication that the Ministry was in discussions with the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC) on the way forward with regards to the much-needed repairs to the road.
However, when contacted on Monday for an update on those discussions, Cummings was unable to offer an update up to press time.
