La Ressource and Grace residents fired-up by DSH road diversions

Government and Company Officials Face the Heat

TEMPERS flared at a meeting the Ministry of Infrastructure held with residents of La Ressource and Grace, in Vieux Fort, aimed at informing them of the diversion of the roads leading to their communities in order to facilitate the construction of the Desert Star Holding project (DSH).

The meeting was also attended by representatives of C.O Williams Construction Company, the company which will construct the roads, under the Design, Finance and Construct (DFC) arrangement.

A representative of the company gave a power-point presentation of the road diversions, but which did not impress the gathering.

Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Infrastructure, Ivor Daniel, said apart from facilitating the DSH project, the road diversion will also facilitate a new road leading to the Hewannora International Airport.

The meeting, held on Wednesday at the Plain View Combined School in Vieux-Fort, attracted a vocal gathering who did not mince words in expressing their concerns about the diversion of the roads and the DSH project in general.

From the beginning of the Questions and Answers session, some of the attendees felt the meeting had taken a political twist, resulting in the Mayor of Vieux-Fort, Orricia Denbow-Bullen and other staunch supporters of the United Workers Party (UWP) leaving the meeting in disgust, long before it had ended.

“This thing is too damn political…” one of those who had left the meeting was heard saying in annoyance.

About half of the gathering left the meeting before it had ended because of the tone it had taken.

Those who remained were visibly infuriated when the representatives of the Ministry of Infrastructure announced that the road from the junction at St. Jude hospital (now housed at the George Odlum Stadium) to the Grace junction will be closed on October 29.

Ferguson John, former district representative for Choiseul, under a former Labour Party administration, said that he will lead a delegation to stop it.

“Why come here after the fact? The permanent secretary should have had the necessary courage to tell the bosses that… He should tell the powers that be to come and take the pressure and don’t send civil servants to us to take the pressure for them,” John fumed.

He added: “That’s foolishness. That’s not democracy…”

Cornellia Jacob, an outspoken St. Lucia Labour Party (SLP) supporter, wanted to know why none of the MP’s for Vieux-Fort were invited to the meeting. But the meeting ended and she was not given a definite answer.

She lambasted the government for not consulting residents of the south on issues relating to the controversial DSH project. She said the south has no hospital but yet the government is wasting tax payer’s money on a project for a Chinese.

“That’s nonsense. That’s disrespectful…” she said in anger.

According to Jacobs, the meeting should be to inform residents of the facts relating to the DSH project and not about the road diversion.

Jacobs, who was being heckled by a few supporters of the UWP, asked: “Is this a residents meeting or a UWP meeting?”

At this point the questions were coming fast and furious as the gathering was fired up.

Peter John, another resident, said the government should have consulted residents of Vieux-Fort on where to divert the roads because they know the area more than those in authority.

Another resident said the government took much too long to hold a meeting with them on the contentious issue.

They all expressed the view that Prime Minster Chastanet or the relevant Cabinet Minister should be at the meeting to “take the heat” and answer the real questions, many of which the representatives of the Ministry of Infrastructure were unable to answer.

“The prime minister is overseas having fun. He should be here to answer the questions….” a resident said on the floor.