legrandangle-lgm

As the rest of the country gears up for the festive season, residents of St John’s Trace, Avocat and Fyzabad say they will spend the season quietly this year, as more than five months after initially being isolated from the rest of the country , stay isolated. cut off.

In July, the St. John’s Bridge, which for decades connected the rural community to the wider country, collapsed into the Godineau River, stranding at least 40 people. And in those months, residents say the promise of recovery has fallen dramatically short.

Three weeks ago, the small fishing vessel that allowed healthy residents to cross the watercourse to access food and medical treatment was taken away by its owner after it was found submerged in the river.

To get to the other side, residents told the Express that some had no choice but to try to cross the nearby locks or ask counselors for help in bringing goods to them.

An off-road track that allowed some to leave the area in vehicles months ago has since been destroyed, residents said.

And those who have had no choice but to move out of the segregated section to attend jobs and school have had to make monthly rental payments, while paying the bills for the vacant homes they left behind.

‘It’s Christmas and people want to go shopping. You have to walk to the locks with your groceries and if it rains, that is very unfortunate. Some residents have left and it is difficult for those who have left their homes to pay the rent and bills for their homes. Some of them have animals that they cannot take with them,” a resident living a short distance from the collapsed bridge told the Express yesterday.

“My elderly father goes back and forth. He is a farmer and has to get his produce from there at least twice a week. And he has to walk because his vehicle can’t cross, and it’s a good way to walk about half a mile with those vegetables through the lock gate. He is an elderly person with medical problems and this is what he lives on, this is what he sells to pay bills. He is 66 years old. It’s a big problem,” the resident said.

Trevor Premchan, 37, who has lived in the community all his life, told the Express he was looking for a rental property for his family outside the area.

“They called us to hand out baskets, but I said we needed a bridge. They said they would contact me. I told them we don’t have a boat and asked if they wanted to do anything, and they said they would contact me. We still argue for a bridge. Our houses are still back there. We rent and pay bills for our own homes,” he said.

While some had no choice but to leave, he estimated that at least 25, mostly elderly, remained behind.

Feeling abandoned

Frustrated by the lack of response, residents said they felt let down by both their local representatives and the wider government.

As the Christmas season and the New Year approach, residents said people who have been forced to leave their homes or whose movements have been restricted by the collapsed bridge were not feeling a holiday spirit, but rather a prolonged sense of despair.

‘Everyone is celebrating Christmas and it’s boring in the back because you can’t even carry groceries. It’s really a big burden. If they can help us, by creating a medium for us. I have things there that I can’t convey. I would like it if they built a new bridge as soon as possible. At least give us that gift for 2025,” said another resident.

When contacted yesterday, Siparia Mayor Doodnath Mayrhoo said there has been no response from the local government or the Ministry of Works and Transport on how to resolve the issue.

The Express contacted Al-Rawi for a comment yesterday but no comment was received.