Fed up of waiting on the Chaguanas Borough Corporation (CBC) to clean a pile of garbage at Bhim Street, former Mayor and MP Dr Suruj Rambachan started moving the smelly pile himself.
On Sunday, Rambachan and a team of workers he hired, started loading bags of garbage and construction rubble on to a truck for disposal. Rambachan said he was tired of having to deal with the CBC, who he said was giving him a runaround.
Speaking with Guardian Media, Rambachan said a contractor dumped construction rubble on the roadside two months ago. Since then the area has become a dumping ground for household and commercial waste. The collection of waste in Chaguanas is also a problem in other communities.
A disgruntled resident of Balmoral Park, Edinburgh 500, said the open tray service operated by the CBC was not picking up waste in his community. He said a pile of tree cuttings have now become a dump heap for household waste.
Rambachan said he was blanked on several occasions when he contacted Mayor Faaiq Mohammed and the CEO of the CBC.
“The Borough Corporation has demonstrated that it is an impotent corporation unable to do a simple task like clearing up this rubbish. While the vermin and rats continue to create a health hazard here, they are hiding behind the litter wardens and they are hiding what they consider to be a legal process. The burgesses are suffering.”
Rambachan said, “When you put children to do a job this is what you got.” Dinesh Rambally, MP for Chaguanas West (Rambachan’s area falls in Couva North) said the Chaguanas Borough Corporation was slow to remove garbage and the problem was growing. Rambally said the CBC was taking too long to remove garbage when they cleared drains. He said debris left on the side of the road usually ends back up in the drains.
When contacted, Mayor Mohammed said the issue was being handled by the litter warden. Mohammed said, “The CBC remains committed to keeping our area clean and sanitary. We continue to monitor the open tray service and regular garbage disposal to ensure that our Borough is well kept.”
