NWA, NWC lambasted in Hanover Municipal Corporation meeting

WESTERN BUREAU:

TWO GOVERNMENT agencies, The National Works Agency (NWA) and the National Water Commission (NWC), have come in for criticism at the Hanover Municipal Corporation’s (HMC) November monthly meeting, as they are being blamed for the poor road condition across the parish, and particularly those in and around the capital town, Lucea.

While councillors at the meeting expressed concern about blame being cast at their feet, for bad road conditions across the parish, even more so about the condition of the roadways in the parish capital, Lucea, they argued that the problem is being caused by either the NWC not acting quickly nor responsibly with regard to work it is supposed to perform, equally, the non-responsiveness of the NWA to any request for their action.

Both agencies does not send a representative to the monthly general meeting of the HMC.

“As politicians we (in the HMC) are getting some cussing that we do not deserve, and that upsets me, because we have no control over some of the things that we are being blamed for, and the agencies that are responsible, the NWA, the NWC, the members of parliament, nobody is calling them out, they (the people) are calling on us the councillors,” Deputy Mayor of Lucea Andria Dehaney-Grant stated during the meeting.

The matter of the responsibility of the different agencies came up for discussion, when the president of the Parish Development Committee (PDC), Christeen Hooper-Johnson, tabled a report in the meeting, which highlighted a number of bad and deteriorating roads in Western Hanover, and called for the HMC to take action to deal with the problem on some named roadways. It was pointed out that none of the roadways named by the PDC president were parochial roads, and, as such, the responsibility of the HMC, instead they were all roadways which fall under the responsibility of central government, and, as such, the responsibility of the NWA.

Long Wait for Lucea repairs

Sheridan Samuels, mayor of Lucea and chairman of the HMC, in his comments agreed with the deputy mayor, and went on to make reference to the main roads in Lucea, which have been left in a deplorable condition for months.

“One section has a broken pipe for months and the NWC has failed to repair it, while another section which happens to be the responsibility of the NWA has been in a deplorable condition for sometime before any attempt is made at correcting the situation,” he stated.

Easton Edwards, councillor for the Lucea division, was however very vociferous in his defence of the member of parliament for Hanover Western, Tamika Davis, when he made his contribution to the discussion, arguing that Davis has been making an effort to get the two agencies to carry out their responsibilities, adding that “she can do so much and no more”.

Said Edwards, “We cannot go out there and dig hole and repair roads and pipes, and do those things that the agencies are supposed to do, and I have knowledge of her making the necessary representation to both agencies where necessary.”

He insisted that, just as the councillors are not to be blamed, nor are the members of parliament as they are doing what is needed in terms of representation.

Edwards called for the proper education of the general public about the responsibilities of agencies, so that blame is not cast on the political representative unnecessarily, even when they are doing the relevant representation.