Oropouche residents protest

HUNDREDS of residents of South Oropouche took to the streets of their community to protest the lack of a 24-hour police service in their community and also the Government’s failure to complete the building of the South Oropouche Government primary school, whose construction started five years ago. The protesting persons, comprising businessmen, residents, schoolchildren, housewives and community religious leaders, started the march through the streets of South Oropouche early yesterday morning under the watchful gaze of armed policemen. Fyzabad MP Chandresh Sharma, who lent his support to the protesting residents, slammed the Government saying South Oropouche was being politically victimised and treated with a “don’t care” attitude.

The protest started at 7.30 am with a peaceful procession along the streets of the community. The protest was organised by the South Oropouche Village Council, South Oropouche Development Committee and the South Oropouche Government Primary School’s Parent and Teachers Association. According to Sharma, the purpose of the protest was to highlight Government’s failure to complete the primary school, which he said had been under construction for the last five years. “Imagine the San Fernando Girls Government Primary School and the Vessigny Government Primary School have been completed and those two specific projects were started after construction began on the South Oropouche Government Primary School,” Sharma said. “The Government is definitely sabotaging the completion of this school.” Sharma said there was urgent need for the completion of the school because the community centre’s building, where students were being kept, was too small and posed a health hazard to the students. He said students were complaining about the heat from the over-crowded centre.

Sharma said residents also raised concerns over the non-placement of a 24-hour police post at the area as promised by the Government, after the derelict Oropouche Police Station was abandoned by its officers who went to the Fyzabad Police Station. Sharma also said residents were complaining about their inability to make use of the South Oropouche Community Centre because the building currently houses the primary school and as such, they are unable to hold any community functions. Sharma said residents were also upset with the removal of the post office. He said the residents were given no notice concerning the removal of the post office in the area.