By Delicia Janneire
In response to protests by Silver Hill residents, Public Works Minister Juan Edghill has secured commitments from loam pit operators to repair and maintain community roads damaged by heavy-duty vehicles.
Residents of Silver Hill, situated along the Soesdyke-Linden Highway, had blocked access to loam mining operators, citing significant damage to their roads and noise disruptions affecting local schoolchildren.
Minister Edghill held a meeting with the residents and the mining operators to address these concerns.
It was agreed that the operators would take on the responsibility of repairing and maintaining the roads used for their operations.
“If the road deteriorates as they fetch out loam, they have to come back and fix it again to keep it at a level that you would have access to your homes. In the interim, while they are doing that, we continue to explore opening up the alternative road so that they can get unlimited access to the loam pit without having a nuisance or an inconvenience to the residents,” Minister Edghill stated.
Minister Edghill also issued a stern warning to the operators about adhering to this agreement.
“I’m telling you upfront, if these two operators don’t do what they told me they are gonna do, well then I have to go to the Minister of Natural Resources and the Geology and Mines Commission to suspend their operations,” he cautioned.
The agreement aims to balance the ongoing construction boom with the need to protect community infrastructure and minimize disruptions for local residents.