A flagship event for one community may be cancelled for the third time due to what is being described as negligence by the Dominica government.
One resident of Cochrane has revealed that the annual Rabbit Festival, which is held in the community, may be cancelled yet again since the road leading to the community is in a deplorable and dangerous state.
Loftus Durand described the road as a ‘pending catastrophe.’
Speaking to Dominica News Online on Monday afternoon Durand explained that the road has been in a terrible condition for the past years and has been continuously neglected by government despite promises to repair it.
“The road is being undermined and I brought that to the attention of the public and in response the minister, Mr Blackmoore at the time, said that the ministry is taking a look at the entire road network in Dominica,” he said.
According to Durand this information was relayed to the residents in May 2013, and after an entire year of waiting, nothing has been done.
“The bad road affects our Rabbit Festival in that to get to the festival you need a good road to get there and the road is not in good condition,” he lamented. “We do not want to risk the lives of the patrons to that festival and expose them to deteriorating road since something drastic could happen. It is a pending catastrophe.”
He added further that an entire year has passed since the residents have received any word from the Ministry of Public Works or their Parliamentary Representative Collin McIntyre.
“A whole year has passed and nothing has been done on this piece of road,” Durand stated. “The parliamentary representative Mr. Mcintyre made promises on his campaign trail stating that this road would be given some attention, along with other roads in the Valley constituency namely Wotten Waven, Laudat, Trafalgar and if you walk through this constituency the entire road network in that constituency is wanting.”
Durand stated that this reflects a lack of proper representation on the behalf of the Ministry of Public works, and the Parliamentary Representative.
“The road is very important in that our rabbit festival which is the niche market for Cochrane has been cancelled for two years in a row namely because of the deteriorating roads,” he stated. “The festival is around the corner again and nothing has been done and I cannot foresee us having a festival again in that condition.”
The concerned resident pointed out further that they have been trying to get a meeting with their Parliamentary Representative however all attempts to do so have come up futile. He indicated further that he is of the view that the road is in need of a total and complete repair.
“We need a proper drainage system, resurfacing, there are certain areas where the cliff needs to be cut down, so that the road can be aligned properly in certain areas,” he said. “In the interim we are saying that it is so bad that if something can be done in the interim that would appease us a bit.”
He explained that there is need for dialogue between the relevant authorities and the residents of Cochrane.
DNO attempted to contact MP for the Roseau Valley constituency, Collin McIntyre, but was unsuccessful.
This question is for the people that say the road is a problem for the rabbit festival but they DRIVE EVERY DAY FROM COCKRANE TO ROSEAU ON THE SAME ROAD TO GET TO WORK. THE BIG CCD TRUCKS ON THAT SAME ROAD UP AND DOWN COME ON PEOPLE STOP THE POLITICS AND THE GAMES. IT IS MORE ABOUT MONEY AND MAYBE THEY TAKE MORE MONEY OUT OF THE BANK FOR THERE PERSONAL THINGS AGAIN SO THEY CANNOT HOLD THE RABBIT FESTIVAL.
THE OTHER THING IS THAT COCKRANE PEOPLE do not want to open there mouth and say what is happening with the monies as it is a family kind of running it and a lot will go down but I will be doing the investigation and get the law in to take who ever that is doing this have a good day one man RABBIT. I WILL STAND AND SUPPORT THE RABBITS ONE LOVE
Now this rabbit festival in Cockrane has been by some of the past people as there members of the executive as a play to get money, from purchasing travel ticket for there Father paying for all kinds of thing apart from what the money has to be used for. Some past members has removed monies illegally from the RABBIT FESTIVAL ACCOUNT for purchasing parts for peoples personal cars. This is the main reason why the festival is not running for the past two years and the are putting it on the roads it is high time that we stop playing with the rabbits and the RABBIT FESTIVAL AND ALSO STOP PLAYING polities with it. I PERSONALY THINK THAT THERE NEED TO HAVE A FULL INVESTIGATION INTO THE SPENDING OF THE MONIES OF THE RABBIT FESTIVAL AND THIS YEAR I WILL START TO DO THAT SO PEOPLE IN THERE GET READY TO ANSWER QUESTIONS. THE OTHER THING IS THAT COCKRANE PEOPLE ARE
Just fix the road right the first time and then money will be saved. Too much monkey business and incompatible materials used on purpose to create mess after mess.
So many of the responses on this story are negative and inject politics where it doesn’t belong. We often fret about job creation and lack there of in various parts of the island. Here’s a village/community that created an event for themselves and because of poor infrastructure, they are unable to host it.
We often forget the role of infrastructure in a nation’s development and how adversely it affects those who are trying to pull themselves up by their boot straps.
Vote them out enough is enough
the DLP has done there homework, Cochrane is a renegade community that wont vote labour, so why waste their resources there?
The Roseau valley is gone so spent the resources elsewhere.
The suggestion for change of venue is cool. Try it. I would like to be at festival to eat some rabbit. Shall we?
I think they should reinstate road maintenance. Politicians today want to be engineers, contractors, and even pay masters. Politicians must allow the government machinery to do it’s work and stop dictating to the so called heads where to work how to work and who to employ. Give the professionals a chance to do their work. Reopen the road maintenance offices in the four districts namely Northern (Portsmouth office) Southern ( Roseau office) Eastern (Laplaine office) Western (Layou office)
AMEN!!!!!!!!
They Started Repairing our Roads for the Giraudel/Eggleston Flower Show 2 days before the event. We haven’t seen them since. Right now there are more potholes than they even attempted to patch. Ambrose George + Collin McIntyre = NEGLECT!
I think we should implement somewhat of the French system of road Maintainace. For all non essential roads the community or municipality has to raise funds and contribute based on population and tax base. Maybe it would be from 5 – 20% of the cost of building the road. So people will not just stand there and bawl I want a road I want a road. Invest in your community and don’t wait for the government to do everything for you.
i am fed up hearing about our roads eh allu. road maintenance is supposed to be every three to six months. why is it when ppl post things on dno that’s when the government responds. i just don’t get it. theses roads are beyond deplorable…..
We will fix that one too soon.
If you all think Skerrit really cares you all are fooling yourselves. He is just trying to do some projects here and there to see if he can win another term.
That is why…..change is a must
Trust all you to bring this issue down to politics..I inviting any-one of you to just take a walk(not a drive), and take a peep at what exactly is holding up Cochrane road in some areas.
When it is the rainy season, i cross my fingers and hold my breath when travelling on those dangerous portions, because all i seeing is another Pond Casse road disaster waiting to happen.
So Mr. Minister, are you going to keep on playing Russian Roulette with our lives???
what happen yall dont know how to strick block road protest actions???? come on man is not donkeys tht staying in the place.. dont wait till someting happens
next level
We Dominicans keep saying exclude politics….but it is clear that even what follows after strongly indicates that we to have not exclude politics.
Every event planned has logistic to it and one of the foremost important aspect of any event is Safety and Security. This Rabbit Fest is considered a local tourism product, with target market being, local tourism…..in tourism the most important concern is the safety and security of the tourist.
If the road to the area proves not to ensure the safety and security of the local tourist/participants/patrons, THEN the event has to be cancelled.
We say it’s a political story….so, go on to say that if it’s not the same road the villagers use…… BUT HAVE WE CONSIDERED THE FACT THAT PERSONS ATTENDING THE FEAST MAY NOT BE FAMILIAR WITH THE ROAD!!! ALL THIS HAS TO BE CONSIDERED…..Are we really going to sit behind our computer screens and play ignorant of this?????
COME MAN!!!!! If the show was to go on and someone gets in to a horrible accident, who will be blamed????? who will get the tongue lashing?????
well well well Dominicans not easy.so you all expect all the roads of Dominica to fix all at the same time .you all must be thinking running a country is easy .people everything takes time Rome was not built in a day give the Government a break, because workers were there before Skerrit and workers did nothing about the roads and I am sure if workers win today or tomorrow I can bet they wont be able to fix all the roads at the same time.
Scott Head ,Pte.michel ,Grand Bay, Loubiere,etc got new roads wait your turn will come. Some of us waited for years .
Loubiere? Where?
If the community don’t want to have the event they don’t want to have the event but don’t use the road as an excuse. I sure that is the same road the residence using and they seem to be going back and forth just fine. Come on another community take over the festival Cochrane can’t seen to be able to keep up. Politics in everything a little festival all having politics have to come in it. A whole year plus nothing was said the politic getting a little hot now allu know road.
‘The life’, arent you missing the point. The residents and their vehicles are few compared to the multitude of persons who flock to Cochran during the festival. Leave the politics out of that. It would be reckless and irresponsible to have the festival given the condition of the road at the present time.
Lonesome, I think ‘The life’ would rather wait until someone gets injured or even die on that road before something gets done. That road is sick!
You must have not read when I said why is only now they complaining when the festival is right around the conner. The road didn’t get bad overnight. Read and understand. I also suggested another community take on the festival. Learn to read and understand and like I said politics doesn’t have to be in every single thing.
Your comment truly reflects a demented person with very little common sense. Can’t you see that there is vast difference in the amount of traffic generated by the festival compared to the residents. I remember attending the festival some 5 years ago and the traffic was so voluminous we had to park about a mile away. Please sir/madam do use your common sense, engage your brain before posting comments
vote
You all make me laugh. 15 years that lot has been in government now and all you keep on voting for them. So, what are all you complaining about. You get what you deserve. Let’s be honest here, nobody apart from the red hard liners and recepiants of the red clinic should have voted for them in 2009, let alone even contemplating voting for them in 2014/2015. You all will learn the hard way…eventually. I hope it’s not to late by then.
ikr…as the saying goes who doesnt hear will feel…if labor win the next election Dominica will become a communist country
Workers never fixed that road either.
the UWP Government was the one who opened up the road. it was very very narrow in most areas. so they did their share.
DAMN…one of my favorite festivals….election coming you wil get a quick fix lol
DE: Moderator can only read the various comments. Hope this one does not disappear like the ones over the weekend. Thanks D.N.O. keep up the great job.
Shame on skerrit
Yet again, another community crying out over the bad treatment from DLP but I still see their rallies full of shouting fans
and they will vote for them again, they will dangle a few cents in their faces come election time,,my people never learn
loftus is right … when u need things done is put in the news on line let the world see what we are going through in dominica …to much binbobol ferilizer bobol women bobool…..that what we have ,,,,and treating there voters like servants…
welcome to the next level…..
Coming soon million dollar road repair,only for you fools,
while we all know that the road is in a bad state i think all you just playing the fool with the rabbit festival just wait till someother people take it
Shame on you Mr. McIntyre. That the only fest we the people of Cochrane have to enjoy. And we have to put it off for yet another year? I think the Valley people will be thinking a little harder in the coming months. You know what I`m thinking of.
What are they waiting for to re-arrange the boundaries for some constituencies. Why the Parl rep. for the Valley has to travel through Roseau Central, Roseau North and part of the Mahaut constituency to go and visit his voters at Cochrane?
Lol… Do you even know what constituency Cochrane is???????????? lol How McIntyre reach in that?
Intellect, it don’t sounds that u do not even know which constituency u belongs to. Cochrane is in the Valley constituency
Well personally, my opinion is that, unless government have an immediate interest in Cochrane, then the Cochrane road is not a priority.
As I said before 27 million on the state house but your roads is in a mess, a hospital close due to terminate, a festival that would bring money in the community cancel. Why should the people go to the polls and vote you in again. Smh
We can also think of having the festival in Canefield .
The show must go on organisers kindly think it over and look for a solution instead of cancelling the event .
look beyond politics .
I AM DOMINICA ARE YOU
Yea, promises and more promises and then we are left on our own until election time comes around again. Look at how well and how quickly the minister ( Blackmore ) fixed the road leading up to his malty-million dollar home he built but the poor are left to beg and rot.
Remember,i say if you making baby,do not come,because is holes alone that in the road .
Eh so that is the state of the Cockrane road,oursin Wotten Waven,is called Holy Land,because is holes alone that in the road,a place where its economy is fed by tourist money.Con you all beleive that,come see for you all selves,if u making a baby,u cannot drive on wotten waven road.
Shame,shame on the authorities concerned.
LOL at “Holy Land”
I will always say that this corrupt, wicked, develish,evil , clueless dunce cat Labour Party government, is like a curse or a plague that has befallen Dominica and Dominicans. They are simply too busy doing other things and taking advantage of their positions as leaders to use the poor citizens of this impoverished country. That’s why to this point they know among themselves that the people have rejected them. So no Indoor Sporting Facility , or Playing field restoration or Airport Construction can fool the people anymore. THE PEOPLE ARE TOO POOR AND FED UP!
I think that most Dominicans have already made up their minds TO KICK THIS DANGEROUS, clueless DUNCE government out of office when the bell is rung!
THE PEOPLE OF COCKRAN SHOULD JOIN IN!
VOTE WISELY! AND VOTE THEM WICKEDS OUT!
HOW LONG?
NOT LONG!
Well spoken. Could not agree more! But you’ll see, next election there will still be plenty of fools voting for them. I actually do not know who is worse, that government lot or the fools that keep on voting for them over and over again. Clearly, they are happy to sell their country to the devil for a few dollars from the red clinic. Shame on all of them!!!!!!
While I acknowledge the concern for the road condition, it can clearly be seen that loftus Durand is playing Politics. The rabbit festival was cancelled in 2012 because there wasnt enough rabbit meat, and thats a fact. Admittedly, it was cancelled in 2013 out of concern for the condition of the road. Everything for these guys is POLITICS…smh
But you are the one bringing the politics here!
@ Dominican For Sure, you are admitting the festival was cancelled in 2013 out of concern for the condition of the road. So why then are you accusing Loftus of bringing politics into the picture? Can’t people express themselves in Dominica without someone jumping down their throats. Is it the responsibility of Loftus or the residents of Cochrane to repair the roads? It IS the Parliamentary Representative who MUST make representation on behalf of the people. They make all their promises, disappear and then re-appear 5 years later. The people of Dominica are fully responsible for that type of representation. We need to learn to vote responsibly not in response to a bit of rum, galvanize, building materials or a $20.00. it is time we demand better representation and hold those we elect accountable. The power is in the hands of the people.
take what you get, keep voting labour ……i mean we’re all about ‘the next level’ right…wake up dominicans
Guess he doesn’t use that road
It do look like BLACKMOORE Know Canefied An Cochrane Because i can tell u the roads are very very bad. blackmoore come on man u can do better than that. WHAT WE HAVE DOEN TO U.