Senior students of the Sapodilla Learning Centre recently conducted a survey within the Naarstigheid/Union Neighbourhood Democratic Council (NDC) which showed residents did not want the involvement of political parties in local government.

The survey was carried out among more than 500 residents of the 14 villages within the NDC, and a report was submitted to the November 12 statutory meeting of the council at Bush Lot.

The survey found that a large number of those sampled wanted local government to be controlled by ordinary people and not by political parties. And many were of the view that political parties should not contest local government elections, but leave the people to appoint their village leaders and councillors.

A number of individuals also expressed their dissatisfaction over the quality of councillors selected by political parties to administer NDCs and called for competent, committed professionals to run the affairs of their villages.

"Local government should be given back to the people and they should be allowed to run their villages with advice and support from central government," the report said.

Meanwhile, Chairman of the NDC, Edwin Joseph has again called for the valuation of "thousands" of properties which are at the moment outside of the council's rates collection ambit.

"Local government is a business," he told Stabroek News earlier this week, "and it should be run like a business. The majority of the property owners do not like to pay rates and taxes but without adequate funds we cannot satisfy the demands of those very persons." Joseph said there is urgent need for valuation officers and for new and strict laws governing the payment of rates and taxes.

"By next year our arrears rates and taxes will climb to approximately $7 million, yet it seems that we will still be unable to recoup this amount from defaulters."

However, despite the difficulties and constraints, the NDC with assistance from the Regional Democratic Council has been able "to do something in each of the 14 villages," Joseph said.

The council has already expended its $3 million annual government subvention on developmental works in the area but continues like several other NDCs countrywide to experience difficulties with solid waste disposal. The council had some time ago established a disposal site at Naarstigheid but residents have been reluctant to use the site and are continuing to dump garbage indiscriminately throughout the NDC.

Recently Regional Vice-Chairman J. Baksh referred to the problem of dumping at a RDC meeting at Fort Wellington. "The environment is appalling and filthy since people are dumping garbage all over the place," Joseph bemoaned. He is encouraging residents to use the services of a private collector based at Bush Lot who has been authorized by the council to collect garbage at a fee agreed to by the two parties.

According to Joseph, recently a stray catcher was attacked by gun-toting residents at Number 30/Union. The matter, he said, is being investigated by the police.

Joseph was also appreciative of the assistance provided by the regional administration to the council. "The region has done lots of work for us this year and some are still ongoing. Work has already started on Cemetery Road which was in a deplorable state while rehabilitation work on King Street is expected to start sometime this week."

Meanwhile, Regional Chairman Harrinarine Baldeo confirmed on Wednesday that rehabilitation work on the contentious Trafalgar Health Centre and its access road had commenced. Works, he said, were also ongoing on rehabilitating the Mahaicony Secondary School and the revetment at Number 8 village.

Recently a number of women protested the siting of a new health centre at Bush Lot, saying they were not consulted. However, Baldeo explained that there was a misunderstanding over the site and the centre will now be located next to the cricket ground at Bush Lot. According to the chairman, approximately 80 percent of the RDC's capital works has been completed while the remainder will be executed by the end of the year. Among the council's capital works for this year is the new health centre at Bush Lot.