Latest update March 29th, 2024 12:59 AM
Jul 19, 2012 News
More than a week after flood waters destroyed over 6,000 chickens at the Number 57 Village farm, re-migrants Bibi Hussain and her husband, Rasheed, say they are being given the ‘royal runaround’ and empty promises by the relevant authorities with regards to compensation of some sort.
They are contemplating whether to remain in Guyana or leave.
Efforts to contact Livestock Officer, Garfield Maharally, proved futile. Another Livestock Officer, Dharmendranauth Ramnauth, said that he could not speak to a reporter and could be disciplined for doing so.
Several areas along the Upper Corentyne area were under water last Sunday, with Numbers 51-62 Villages being the hardest hit areas. Residents found the flooding strange, since heavier rains had pounded the area before but no such flooding was experienced.
Sources have said that the areas under water could have been as a result of negligence on the part of the local authority, since the sluice was opened too late.
Chairman of the Neighbourhood Democratic Council, Abdool Ghannie, while denying the claim, did say that the sluice was opened “half an hour late” but could not have caused all that flooding. He added that he was informed that a “tornado” had passed through the Corentyne River and had swept up the water in the affected areas. Residents say that he is talking “garbage”.
The Hussains have estimated a loss of over $3M. Mrs. Hussain was feverishly trying to raise awareness of the matter during all of last week but was only getting promises. She said that she spoke with Garfield Maharally, a Livestock Officer, who promised to visit the farm “and to overlook what happened”.
She was informed by one of the workers on her farm that an individual did visit the farm and measured the pens and took photos. “While he (Garfield) was with me on the phone, another guy, Ramnauth, said that he was in charge of Garfield and that he was going to write up a letter for me to take to the Ministry of Agriculture”.
The woman said that the individuals did give her their cell phone numbers should she need further advice and information. “I never get back to them; and there was no response”.
She said that she spoke with former Region Six Chairman, Zulfikar Mustapha, and explained the problem. “He told me to get a letter from the NDC Chairman Ghannie and when I called Ghannie, he told me that when he went to my farm, he saw no dead chickens”.
Hussain said that she explained to him that she had to clean up the dead chickens or they would have created a health hazard. She said that Ghannie was unreasonable if he expected to turn up at the farm days after the flooding and see the dead chickens.
“He said I am giving him a hard time but I told him, “no” and he said he cannot give me a letter to take to the Agriculture Ministry because he did not see any dead chicken”.
Mrs Hussain is convinced she is being fooled. “So far, I don’t think they want to help with anything. I don’t know who is this Ramnauth; I don’t know where he lives…but Garfield told me he lives somewhere on the Corentyne, but he [Ramnauth] said he is the one who is in charge of Garfield…I never met them just talked to them on the phone”.
The woman said that she is not leaving the matter hanging. “I am going to go out for them because it can’t happen like that…it’s not our fault— rain fell heavier than that, which everybody knows— there is a blockage somewhere, either coming from the sluice and we heard the Number 52 and 65 kokers were closed…So why didn’t they go and do their work —open the sluice on time?”
“There is something fishy out there because it’s either they didn’t do the right work and they are trying to blame it on the rain, but no matter how hard that rain fall, there is never, ever a flooding at the back there”, she argued.
Mrs Hussain believes their efforts will in the end be futile, from what she has heard from other farmers and their experiences. Farmers end up getting back nothing from the government.
The Hussains said that since the flooding, they have not been able to restart operations since the ground in the pen is still soggy and messy “you can’t even get in the pen”.
“I don’t feel like staying in Guyana anymore, because it’s like, you are right and you are wrong, too.”
THIS IDIOT TELLING GUYANA WE HAVE NO SAY IN THE 50% PROFIT SHARING AGREEMENT WE HAVE WITH EXXON.
Mar 29, 2024
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