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Friendship's long, winding road to better facilities
Published: Saturday | August 13, 2011 0 Comments
Dr D.K. Duncan, member of parliament for Eastern Hanover.
Christopher Thomas, Gleaner Writer
WESTERN BUREAU:Residents of Friendship in Hanover will have to wait until later this month to learn how and when their demands for road repairs and an improved water system in their community will be met.
The residents, who recently clamoured for assistance with road repairs and for piped water, claimed they have been grappling with these problems for some 20 years.
Dr D.K. Duncan, member of parliament (MP) for Eastern Hanover, acknowledged that the residents' concerns are valid, but stressed that contrary to their accusations against him, he has been making political representation on their behalf.
"Representations have been vigorous by myself and the councillor (Wynter McIntosh). As a matter of fact, we were last in the area together on Labour Day at Copse; we had the parish project at the school for the disabled, and we did a Labour Day project to begin building a community centre," Duncan said.
"The road is an extensive road, and as they (the residents) say, it's been in a deplorable condition for many years. We've been making vigorous representation because there are a lot of bad roads and this is one of the critical roads, and has been high on the priority list at the National Works Agency and (Hanover) Parish Council for three years."
Unfulfilled promises
The MP lamented that promises have been made to address the Friendship residents' issues and also the constituency of Eastern Hanover on a whole through the [COLOR=blue !important][COLOR=blue !important]Jamaica[/COLOR][/COLOR] Development Infrastructure Programme (JDIP), but to no avail.
"The funds that we get from the Constituency Development Fund are inadequate to address the issues at Friendship. It cannot do [COLOR=blue !important][COLOR=blue !important]rehabilitation[/COLOR][/COLOR] of that magnitude. We are really very concerned and deeply sympathetic with the residents, but our hands are tied, both for lack of funds and how funds are allocated," Duncan told Western Focus.
"As a matter of record, we are very suspicious about the possibility of victimisation in Hanover and Westmoreland, where some 22 JDIP signs have been put up to suggest that roads are going to be built, and none of them are on the list provided by the [COLOR=blue !important][COLOR=blue !important]works[/COLOR][/COLOR] minister (Mike Henry), or very few if any."
Alicia Martin-Angwin, a teacher at Friendship All-Age [COLOR=blue !important][COLOR=blue !important]School[/COLOR][/COLOR], confirmed that the lack of water and good roads affects both [COLOR=blue !important][COLOR=blue !important]students[/COLOR][/COLOR] and teachers.
Water used to be trucked to the school until about two years ago. The school now relies on the river and spring for the commodity.
There is also the problem of transportation due to the bad roads.
"We don't have any taxis coming this end, and most of the time it's very expensive to get somebody to take me up here," Martin-Angwin admitted. "I am coming all the way from Mount Peto end, and they charge me $500 to come up here, sometimes $1, 000 per trip."
Published: Saturday | August 13, 2011 0 Comments
Dr D.K. Duncan, member of parliament for Eastern Hanover.
Christopher Thomas, Gleaner Writer
WESTERN BUREAU:Residents of Friendship in Hanover will have to wait until later this month to learn how and when their demands for road repairs and an improved water system in their community will be met.
The residents, who recently clamoured for assistance with road repairs and for piped water, claimed they have been grappling with these problems for some 20 years.
Dr D.K. Duncan, member of parliament (MP) for Eastern Hanover, acknowledged that the residents' concerns are valid, but stressed that contrary to their accusations against him, he has been making political representation on their behalf.
"Representations have been vigorous by myself and the councillor (Wynter McIntosh). As a matter of fact, we were last in the area together on Labour Day at Copse; we had the parish project at the school for the disabled, and we did a Labour Day project to begin building a community centre," Duncan said.
"The road is an extensive road, and as they (the residents) say, it's been in a deplorable condition for many years. We've been making vigorous representation because there are a lot of bad roads and this is one of the critical roads, and has been high on the priority list at the National Works Agency and (Hanover) Parish Council for three years."
Unfulfilled promises
The MP lamented that promises have been made to address the Friendship residents' issues and also the constituency of Eastern Hanover on a whole through the [COLOR=blue !important][COLOR=blue !important]Jamaica[/COLOR][/COLOR] Development Infrastructure Programme (JDIP), but to no avail.
"The funds that we get from the Constituency Development Fund are inadequate to address the issues at Friendship. It cannot do [COLOR=blue !important][COLOR=blue !important]rehabilitation[/COLOR][/COLOR] of that magnitude. We are really very concerned and deeply sympathetic with the residents, but our hands are tied, both for lack of funds and how funds are allocated," Duncan told Western Focus.
"As a matter of record, we are very suspicious about the possibility of victimisation in Hanover and Westmoreland, where some 22 JDIP signs have been put up to suggest that roads are going to be built, and none of them are on the list provided by the [COLOR=blue !important][COLOR=blue !important]works[/COLOR][/COLOR] minister (Mike Henry), or very few if any."
Alicia Martin-Angwin, a teacher at Friendship All-Age [COLOR=blue !important][COLOR=blue !important]School[/COLOR][/COLOR], confirmed that the lack of water and good roads affects both [COLOR=blue !important][COLOR=blue !important]students[/COLOR][/COLOR] and teachers.
Water used to be trucked to the school until about two years ago. The school now relies on the river and spring for the commodity.
There is also the problem of transportation due to the bad roads.
"We don't have any taxis coming this end, and most of the time it's very expensive to get somebody to take me up here," Martin-Angwin admitted. "I am coming all the way from Mount Peto end, and they charge me $500 to come up here, sometimes $1, 000 per trip."
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