Beetham Gardens residents yesterday warmly welcomed Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar's Clean Up and Beautify T&T campaign. Several residents protested that previous political administrations had not taken proper care of their community. Odika McCarthy, a mother of two, said: "The last government never did anything like this. "This is a great opportunity for the residents and the surroundings," she added. McCarthy said Beetham Gardens was plagued with many health hazards, which especially affected children. She complained about "the stagnant drains, the mosquitoes, the flies, the non-collection of garbage on time and lots more problems."
The resident added: "My children have to visit the clinic regularly to be checked up." Another resident who wanted to identified only as Esther said the area required a lot of cleaning. "Other administrations tried to clean the area, but they did not keep it up," she said. "They tried and failed." She identified community problems as including poor drainage and irregular water supply. A father of three named Glasgow endorsed the campaign, convinced that it would bear fruit for the Beetham community. He, too, wants the problem of drainage to be dealt with. "There is plenty work to be done," he said.
"You have to give them (the new government) a little time to get down to work and then determine whether they can achieve results."
He stressed that drains needed cleaning. Another resident, who did not want to be identified, said she was pleased with the Government's work, as she had seen improvements in the community. "You could not get anything done under the PNM...everything was stagnant," she said. Persad-Bissessar told the residents because they were from Beetham Gardens did not mean they would not be successful in their life. The Prime Minister said she grew up not having much "material things," including a television set, and now she was prime minister. She also said patriotism must be renewed. (NS)
