-
by pltm
(PLTM) - Though they are referred to as the First District, Hon. Andrew Fahie's constituents believe they are always served last by the government of the BVI.
Since the passage of the September hurricanes this year, First District residents have been complaining that bad roads and damaged public facilities in their communities have been receiving little attention from the National Democratic Party (NDP) government.
Many communities in that district also remain in darkness and still rely on trucks to bring water to their homes.
Landslides which fell during the hurricanes three months ago, still reside on the side of some roads.
The residents say despite having many tourist attractions, they have not seen many restoration teams in their area.
They credit themselves for most of the restoration work that has taken place in their communities. When Communication and Works Minister Hon. Mark Vanterpool addressed their community meeting yesterday, December 10, the residents told him that they feel like the forgotten district of the BVI.
"Why it took you guys so long to come here? I have been on the street walking up and down and I yet to see a water and sewage person, electricity, or even you guys coming down to see how we are doing," one female resident of Carrot Bay said to Hon. Vanterpool.
She said members of the government have been communicating through the media, but have not visited them to get an understanding of the problems they are facing.
"When it comes to the First District, you all don't care! You all don't care!" The woman shouted as the audience clapped in agreement.
"I have lived in this community over 40 years so I know. You could have started here with electricity, you could have started here with water, but you all started where you wanted to start. We need to go beyond NDP and VIP; it's past that right now. I want a safer community, I want a better BVI, I want you all to pay more attention to the First District. You are neglecting us," the woman said as the residents murmured in agreement.
She ranted for more than 15 minutes, bemoaning the state of public facilities and infrastructure in the First District. She received a loud applause from residents when she ended.
Hon. Vanterpool responded by saying, "...We take the points into consideration and we will try to do everything possible to address the points that you brought out there."
Will We Be Last To Get Electricity?
Residents also demanded answers about electricity restoration in the First District, asking whether they will be the last to receive power in the BVI.
BVIEC Deputy General Manager, Henry Creque admitted that power teams are currently working to restore Cane Garden Bay and won't get to Carrot Bay and other surrounding communities until next year.
However, he assured the residents that they won't be the last to receive power.
"A lot of places don't have power still. That's the challenge still. We have made a lot of progress so there are a lot of places that have power, but for those that don't have power, everyone feels that they are last," Creque explained.
First District residents have carried out weekly clean-up activities in their communities. However, they say the the West End police station and port facilities, as well as schools in the First District, have not received adequate attention from the government.
