The contractor for the landscaping project around government-built apartment blocks in Pembroke has claimed, with reference to a story on the area (TMIS 23 July) that till some days ago they allowed residents to utilise the area which should have been blocked off, “the thanks we received from most of the residents was simply careless damage to installations and also wilfull damage to same. We earmarked safe areas for residents to utilise but again theses markings in the form of yellow marking tape have been vandalised.”

Furthermore, many times the work had to be rescheduled to allow the new residents to move in.

The contractor added that some of the residents are “prime example of selfishness, like for example one who connected a drain from his washing machine to our electrical circuit sleeves, there was also the case of a letter sent to the residents by the authority telling them not to use the toilets. In fact raw drainage was coming out of the drain pipes onto areas where our workmen had to carry out their work

The department architect who is always trying to be of service to the residents had worked out a system of passage ways so that the residents do not have any debris and dangers in their way especially as the area is in pitch darkness at night, the result of our time and expense was repaid with having all the warning tape torn up and signs ignored, a ramp was provided for use of the residents in a place where steps leading to the area in front of blocks 9-10-11 are to be constructed but I have personally saw residents trying to walk down into the area where there is a drop of at least 60 centimetres.”