Mamoral citrus farmer Ramnarine Bissoon is appealing to the relevant authorities to resume work on a bridge over the Mamoral River before the full force of the rainy season. He estimates it would cost around $1 million. Interviewed recently, both Bissoon, 64, and his son Kelvin Bissoon expressed concern over its neglect since 2008. They also complained it was affecting their livelihood which was dependent upon agriculture.
The senior Bissoon said, "The Government came and asked us to divert the river. I signed a paper. The men told us they would build a bridge. It's now four years. We have not seen them. They only started by putting two steel beams across the riverbed.?"It's about four years now. We are hearing from anybody. We are not seeing anybody. The government chose the contractor. The excavator just stopped working."
Asked about the projected costs to construct the bridge, he said,?"I would say about $1 million. The lack of a bridge is my greatest difficulty. Once the bridge is built before the rains, I?would be happy. Mamoral is peaceful. I chose Mamoral because it is peaceful." Before the contractor began his work, Bissoon said he cleared about 300 trees on his 10.75 acres of land. Apart from citrus, the land is cultivated with pawpaw, pepper and coconut.
To date, the channel where the steel beams were laid is a murky pond. The erosion of the riverbanks has resulted in huge cavities on either side. Stands of bamboo and dasheen were toppled by last weekend's heavy rains. Wild senna flourishes along the river's course. The younger Bissoon said it was "tough getting produce like portugals across the river." The operations, which now involve about six workmen, is laborious.
Minister responds:
Meanwhile, Tabaquite MP Suruj Rambachan said, "I know about the bridge. That bridge is earmarked for construction. I don't know how much it would cost. I can't say if it would be $1 million. We have to put in agricultural access roads for the farmers. We started in the Tabaquite area and now I'm concentrating on districts like Mamoral."