St. George’s, November 20, 2012 – People of Darvie in St. Patrick are calling for the electrical grid to be extended to an area in their community that is not yet served with electricity. The area, known as De’Isles, is in the vicinity of Darvie Bay.
Residents have complained that De’Isles must be the only residential area in Grenada not electrified by GRENLEC, the country’s sole electricity provider.
The dire need of electrification in De’Isles was one of the issues raised last Saturday evening at a meeting with Hon. Joseph Gilbert, MP for St. Patrick West.
“It is my intention to make a passionate appeal to have the entire community electrified by GRENLEC,’’ Gilbert told scores of villagers who turned out to the meeting.
Over the last several weeks, Gilbert has been engaging his constituents in a series of on-the-bloc meetings that have taken him to areas such as Snell Hall, Mt. Rich and Sauteurs.
Gilbert won the St. Patrick West seat in the 2008 general election.
He was one of 11 elected members on the government side of the Lower House of Parliament. But five of them, including Gilbert, are now backbenchers.
The five were among 10 senior members of the ruling National Democratic Congress that were expelled from the party at its September 30 convention.
The expulsion is the subject of a court challenge filed by former Foreign Minister Karl Hood.
At Saturday’s meeting, Gilbert accused the NDC government of “dragging its feet’’ on the Darvie fishermen Lockers’ Project.
The former Works’ Minister said it’s a project he championed while in government. Gilbert noted that financing for implementing the project was supposed to have been allocated under the Basic Needs Trust Fund.
“Government is deliberately dragging its feet with regard to the implementation of the Darvie Fishermen Lockers’ Project,’’ Gilbert charged.
“They are treating with this project in the very same way that they are treating with the Snell Hall playing field project. They believe that I, as MP, stand to benefit too much politically from the implementation of these projects,’’ Gilbert contended. “But I shall not be daunted.’’
