The dense housing settlement on Long Mountain, St. Andrew, is the cause of friction between these residents and those of the Pines of Karachi, who live at the foot of the hill. Pines residents are angry that their community is being used as a thorougfare to gain access to houses on Long Mountain. Photo taken on October 9. - ANDREW SMITH/PHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR
A growing dispute between St. Andrew communities, Long Mountain and Pines of Karachi, turned ugly yesterday afternoon when Pines of Karachi residents attempted to block access to their roads.
The Constabulary Communication Network reported that police were called in to stop Pines of Karachi residents who had attempted to erect a fence to block access to their community yesterday. One of the residents was taken into custody, but later released.
The residents claim people from the neighbouring Long Mountain community have been creating unnecessary traffic on their roads and dumping garbage in open lots. They also complain that sewage is being directed through Karachi Pines and overflowing in their homes.
"We are victims of the Long Mountain community," one angry resident told The Gleaner. "The traffic, the garbage, the faeces are affecting our health and our investment."
The community was developed under Government's Operation PRIDE housing project and spearheaded by the National Housing Development Corporation (NHDC) in the 1990s. It has, however, not yet come under the control of the Kingston and St. Andrew Corporation (KSAC).
Long Mountain was developed prior to Karachi, by developers Selected Homes.
POORLY DESIGNED SEWAGE SYSTEM
Pines of Karachi residents say the NHDC promised them a gated community but that no gate has been erected. They say they have written to the NHDC on a number of occasions, but little has been done to solve any of the problems. When The Gleaner visited the area recently, garbage was seen strewn along the roadside, accompanied by a stench. The residents say the stench comes from manholes along the roads and in their homes, that overflow because of a poorly designed sewage system.
Janice Bryan, a resident, says she has written several times to the NHDC and even threatened to sue the corporation.
"I've invested a lot of money in this project and I just can't allow my investment to go down the drain just like this," she said.
Another angry homeowner, Keith Green, said the sewage system is so poorly designed that sewage sometimes comes up through his neighbour's bathtub. He said he has refused to move into his home until the ongoing problems have been resolved.
An official at the NHDC has disputed claims that residents had been promised a gated community.
"I don't know of any such assurance," Joseph Shoucair, NHDC acting managing director, told The Gleaner.
He said the road belongs to the Ministry of Water and Housing and that Housing Minister Donald Buchanan gave Long Mountain residents temporary access through the community until construction of a new road is completed.
He said the direction of sewage through the community was a permanent decision, approved by the National Water Commission, and that steps were being taken to address the problems.
