Werk- en-Rust

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Continuous concerns are being raised about threats of possible fires, damage to property and electrocutions in various sections of the capital city as a result of rotting electrical posts.These concerns were further highlighted by residents of Smyth Street, Werk- en-Rust, and some of the upper South Road sections of the city.Yesterday, residences and businesses along Smyth Street between Princes and Durban Streets were left without electricity for several hours after two posts with live electric wires fell with the wires attached.Ayanna Baptiste, a vendor, sat mere meters away at her confectionary stand when she heard what she termed a loud crack followed by a crashing sound. It turned out to be two lamp posts falling on the roadway.“I hear a loud crack and then badam the posts fall down on the road with all dem live wires.” Amidst running had she not shouted at a motor cyclist he would have been electrocuted.“The posts with the wires would have land right on top of him if I didn’t shout, ‘watch out the way,’” she recalled.Quick thinking persons in the environs cordoned the street to prevent traffic ingress while the children of the Des Noel Day care were kept at bay in the school building in front of which the electrical posts fell.When Kaieteur News arrived on the scene several GPL linesmen were seen clipping wires on the fallen posts to replace them with new posts.As they worked to replace the two posts which fell on Smyth Street one of the senior personnel on site who asked not to be named as he is not authorised to speak to the press commented that,“There are a lot of rotten posts about the city that need urgent replacing.Luckily no one has been injured as yet but that is likely if we don’t start a campaign to remove and replace them soon.”In response to Baptiste’s comment that posts are no longer painted with tar to prevent termites from making them into nests, the GPL official at the scene said that it has been a while since posts have been in use without them being soaked and treated.Yesterday too, on upper south road another rotting post leaned dangerously close to the roadway while the wires were left dangling on the roadway and disrupting traffic.