Vreed-en-Hoop Stelling in danger of collapsing

- Demerara Speedboat Association Vice President

Persons who use the Vreed-en-Hoop, West Bank Demerara (WBD) stelling say that they risk serious injury because of the deplorable state of the structure. Vice President of the Demerara Speedboat Association, Lancelot Moseley fears that the rotting and unstable structure may even collapse, resulting in fatalities.

Mosley told Kaieteur News that the steps leading from the landing to the boats have been in a dreadful state for years and nothing is being done despite numerous complaints.

He stressed that both passengers and workers have made complaints to the Transport and Harbours Department and also to Minister of Public Works, Robeson Benn but according to one passenger, “it passes through one ear and goes through the other one.”
Moseley said that a woman fractured her foot on the badly damaged step. “The whole step can fall any time.”

The vice-president added that in the morning hours, over close to 200 persons traverse the ‘rotten step’ daily.
“At any time this step can collapse. It can collapse with a huge number of persons and it can be fatal.”
Contacted yesterday, Minister of Public Works, Robeson Benn said that he understands that some repairs were made to the stelling last year. He said that occasionally, speedboats would ram into the structure, but the Minister promised to investigate the complaints this week.
Kaieteur News understands that the speedboats are required to pay a daily fee of $1440 to operate in the vicinity of Vreed-en-Hoop and Georgetown.
“Why is it they can’t use that same money and repair the stelling? If I walk too hard on this step, it shaking hard hard.” Moseley claimed

Moseley stressed that he had earlier addressed these problems with former President Bharrat Jagdeo at a meeting. “At that meeting Minister Benn was there and he promised that he will look into the matter but up to this day nothing is done,” Moseley claimed.
A passenger, Sheliza Ramlakhan said she traverses the stelling daily and is “tired” of making complains to the authorities.

“Every day I does use this stelling because my work is at Georgetown and it is over-bearing that we the passenger gotta be in this situation although we paying tax and pay bus fare. School children also use here and when the rain is falling the step is slippery and shaky,” the passenger claimed.

Monday, April 23, 2012