Angry Aranguez residents protest against funeral home

As many as 60 residents of Bim Bim Trace, Aranguez and environs staged a protest Friday at around 2 pm complaining about the construction of a funeral agency by officials of Boodoo’s Funeral Homes under a house in the area.

“We don’t want any funeral home here, besides the health implications of building such a place with little children and other people around is wrong and we were never consulted,” spokesman for the group Arnold Boyce told Newsday. “We have no idea if the persons in charge, Frederick Boodoo or Shanti Ramsuwak, have Town and Country Planning or any other permission. All we saw was construction going on and then large amounts of ice being bought at a nearby gas station and two days ago coffins started coming in. When we tried to find out from the people there about what was going on, we were insulted in the most hostile way. “There is no parking space, no drainage or proper sewerage,” the angry spokesman continued.

Boyce also told Newsday that he even had 300 signatories protesting the building of the home, including the Member of Parliament for the area Dr Fuad Khan, but the funeral home managers have refused to accept it. The angry resident, further claimed that whether or not it is the owners’ right to build a funeral home on the site, they will contest it. “We have been told the Health Department of the San Juan Corporation is coming to visit on Monday and give their final approval, but the facts are we don’t want it here. “We have no intentions of accepting it.” When Newsday spoke to co-partners Boodoo and Ramsuwak, they both indicated they were in their rights to build the home. Boodoo explained, “If they had asked in a civilised manner, they would have understood what is taking place. In the first place, this is a commercial area and we need no permission to build a funeral home. “A representative of the San Juan Corporation visited here and is quite satisfied with what he saw. “As to parking, drainage and sewerage, things are being put in place to deal with that,” he assured.