LUCEA, Hanover – Councillor for Hanover’s Lucea Division Easton Edwards and Member of Parliament for Western Hanover Ian Hayles have dismissed accusations that they have been disregarding residents of the Kew community, explaining that their hands are tied by jurisdictional and financial constraints.

The residents took their grouses about the lack of adequate street lighting and blocked drains which have caused the water from rainfall to destroy the road surface, to the Observer West last week, charging that both representatives were blatantly ignoring them.

They also complained that the Lucea East River in the vicinity of the Kew Bailey Bridge is overrun with debris which causes the river to overflow its banks whenever it rains heavily.

“I would love to do something but my hands are tied. If I give any work there I am almost certain that the workers will not be paid,” he told the Observer West, adding that the Kew area was a bit difficult to deal with as it came into being through Operation Pride and to date has not been turned over to the Hanover Parish Council.

He said that a possible solution would be for the Parish Council to find some way of adopting the area or some other amicable solution.

Regarding the complaints about street lights, Edwards told the Observer West that the present quota was exhausted and the new set should be ready by January of next year.

Hayles told the Observer West that the $34 million he got from the Constituency Development Fund was woefully inadequate to address all of the issues in the constituency. He said that Kew, coming through Operation Pride, is the responsibility of the Ministry of Water and Housing. In light of this, he said the Ministry ought to intervene as it did in the case of Haughton Meadows and Bulls Bay.

He added however, that he has looked at the area with the NWA and that estimates are being done to fix the breakaway section of the road.

As far as the issue of drain cleaning is concerned, Hayles said that out of an allotment of $2.8-million, two million was spent in Lucea and surrounding areas such as Johnson Town, Brissett and Kew. He further stated that the bridge in question was cleaned last month.

According to Hayles, the residents were contributing to the problem by cutting bamboo in the hills and throwing the stalks into the river in order to float them downstream.

“The problems arise when most are not retrieved from the river and get stuck under the bridge,” he explained.

In response to the residents’ complaints that he cannot be reached at the cellphone number he gave them, Hayles said he travels across the constituency twice weekly and answers his phone when he’s not in meetings.

“I even respond to the please call me text messages,” he said, adding that he intends to convene community meetings within the next two weeks to give his constituents an opportunity to air their concerns.