Jamaica Observer online readers had mixed views on the cry for help from residents in Golden Grove Meadows in St Thomas. The residents, once occupants of Golden Grove Barracks and Ivan Housing Scheme in Duckensfield, claim that an uncovered manhole, a poorly planned landscape and an underdeveloped sewerage system have caused several members in the community to fall ill. Here’s how the readers reacted to the story published yesterday.

Sondon

Well you all forced to move in before the place was properly sorted out. If I am not mistaken, this place was featured in the paper during the construction phase as having a state of the art “biodigester”. Now what ever happened to that system? Certain buildings already look rundown, and this place is relatively new. Boy oh Boy! When will we ever get there?

Ainsworth Cole

They probably built it in a place where it can’t function properly. Like what the resident say, they built it in a spring area and the 3 filters blocked up and crocodile live dung deh. The mediocrity must stop in the way Jamaica do things.

JamaicanDawta

As I recall, they were moved there temporarily in the face of impending hurricane with the agreement that once the threat passed, they were to return home. There was no electricity, water, or sewerage system. These people refused to honour the agreement that they would return home after the hurricane. Now they are bawling for help. The help should be to go back home.

D Blackham

Fact is once the people moved in contractor and the agency that gave the contract washes their hands. So, all construction problems become those of the residents. [It] is just plain disrespectful.

noshel

Typical Jamaica happy come do kind of thing. This is slackness. It must be fixed immediately. The people need to stop paying all bills until the problem is fixed.

JamaicanDawta

Are they paying bills? They were moved there to protect them from the threat of a hurricane with an agreement that they move back to their previous homes after the hurricane had passed. When they moved in they knew that there was no electricity, water, or functioning sewerage system but they refused to honour their agreement. Now they are bawling. They know that the government hugs up this kind of behaviour so they are going to stay there and bawl until “something work out” and they get the houses for free or for much less than the market price even if they can’t afford to maintain them.

LOVEJAMDOWN

Why dem ah bawl now? Dem tell dem to kotch until storm pass [but] dem decide sey dem nah lef. Dem know ’bout all dem problem yah before so wait till things fix, lawd unnuh bawlie bawlie tu much.

lenat

Bawlie bawlie when pickney ah get sick and caah gu a school? Animals should not have to live in such condition never mind humans beings. Had they done it right in the first place no one would be bawling. Dem carelessness.

JamaicanDawta

When they moved in, it was with the understanding that it was a temporary situation to protect them from the hurricane that was threatening at the time. After the threat passed, they refused to move back home and so are in the way of the developers completing the scheme. In this case, carelessness cannot be ascribed to the developers at all.

Lindel McCormack

Jamaica is an undisciplined country coupled with poor and shortsighted leadership. If these people were sent to Golden Grove Meadows temporarily why are they still there more than a year later. I am just tired of the slackness taking place in the country and the non-leadership from those who were elected to lead.

Jim Kelly

Give them an inch, them want a mile. Yard style.

mwhip

There is more to the story! If the government had forcefully removed them, the whole Jamaica and foreign would have feathered and tarred the government!

Jim Kelly

The article states the residents were temporarily relocated to Golden Grove Meadows in September 2016 due to the threat of Hurricane Matthew without light, water and proper sewerage. The residents refuse to leave and complaining about the conditions. My take on the matter, relocate them back to Golden Grove Barracks and Ivan Housing Scheme, fully complete the Golden Grove Meadows project with light, water sewerage and drainage system, then bring them back. In that case, there should be no complaint, as everything should be in proper working order.

darmic3

From the looks of the houses and infrastructure, [this is a] shoddy hurry-come-up development. What should’ve been a public health emergency, with people living in filth, have politicians promising to respond weeks after the problems were reported. Haven’t we seen this kind of movie before?

D Blackham

Where is the respect for ordinary Jamaicans that made their small contribution to our country? Why do state agencies in charge of looking after simple things like housing, utilities etc make life difficult and unbearable? I cannot say anything more than it is gross incompetence along with the mindset that these people are poor so are not deserving of decent living conditions. The worst thing anyone can do to another human is knowing that they’re poor and try take their dignity away. Cries for help blows away like the wind! The title behind my name and the position I hold of manager, chairman, project manager, director, contractor is symbolic and reflects no responsibilities for welfare to whom may benefit. Somehow Jamaicans are tripping up Jamaicans (post-slavery mentality where slaves on the plantation are just slaves) while I who have escaped the plantation and now in the great house believe I must do everything both in my thought and action to keep them confined to a slave mentality. For me to be educated elevates my sense of responsibilities to secure a decent life for the less fortunate among us. Tired of hearing Jamaicans crying to get situation sorted to make their lives and living conditions a bit easier. If we think as a society ordinary people don’t deserve to live with dignity and respect, why not tell them instead of allowing them to have expectations that they are or should be equal, when that is not the case.

lenat

Always the poor, they would never go into an upscale neighbourhood and pichy pachy up such a housing development – ah wuda baddas. But for the poor anything goes.

candle light

What to say….who to blame….it was a temporary housing solution for the impact of a hurricane, the residents refuse to leave after the hurricane had pass….now they are reaping sorrows and sickness ….

Ellydeedo

That is the political hand out work. We all can remember that it was reported not long ago that sewage was running on the streets down Town. Another report regarding a similar occurrence by citizens in the Waterford area was highlighted and somewhere else up Town. Raw sewage running is a very frequent occurrence. However, I’m wondering why the contractor for such poor work cannot be contacted, or the method used to dispose such matter be changed. All the evidence is there to suggest that it is a result of cheap political hand out work.

Holy Perv

They weren’t supposed to live in the unfinished scheme as yet, so why are they now crying ? They also refused to move back to their former residences after the storm. Why weren’t they evicted ? They should allow the builder to finish the houses and infrastructure in peace.

frank dallen

Do these people ever stop complaining, and who the hell built these tiny shacks with the usual health risk, well who but a disrespecting to its population GOJ. Who else? To also to preserve valuable land space the units should have been joined together all in one as an apartment complex with one and two bedrooms not separate little boxes, then while the units are going up you send the civil folks in to teach them how to maintain and live clean and respect property just like human beings.