A resident of Orangestein, East Bank Essequibo says that operations at a neighbouring stone depot have caused extensive structural damage to his home.
When Kiskadee Watch visited the property at Lot 5 Orangestein, the publication observed visible cracks throughout the house, including on the walls, stairs, fence and sections of the concrete yard, which the homeowner said have begun to swell and lift due to the weight of the stockpiled stones next door.
Ganesh Singh, who has lived at the property for more than 30 years, said the stone depot, owned by a man known as “Toto,” has been operating beside his home for approximately four to five years.
According to Singh, the damage has progressively worsened.
“The cracks were there before, but they weren’t so big. Now they’re getting extremely big,” he said.
He said that he is unable to estimate the financial cost of repairing the damage but believes the neighbouring operation is responsible for the deterioration of his property.
In addition to the cracks inside and around his home, Singh alleged that a section of his back fence was also damaged.
The frustrated resident said he has sought assistance from several government officials, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and the owner of the stone depot. However, he said none of his complaints has resulted in a satisfactory resolution.
“I haven’t received any response that has solved the problem,” Singh said.
He further disclosed that the owner of the depot had previously visited his home and promised to address the issue. However, Singh said he was left disappointed after what he described as an inadequate attempt to repair damage to the front of his property.
“He just put concrete water on it and said it was fixed,” Singh explained, noting that the area has since cracked again and is now in an even worse condition.
Rather than having the owner carry out additional repairs, Singh is now requesting either proper compensation for the damage or that the necessary repairs be completed professionally.
“I don’t want him to fix anything because he can do it the same way he did before,” Singh said.
When contacted by Kiskadee Watch for a response, the owner of Toto Stone Depot said he was unaware of any issues involving Singh’s property.
After being informed that Singh had said that he had previously spoken with him about the damage, the owner backtracked and questioned the reporter, asking whether she can personally inspect his own property and where he could seek assistance if similar issues affected him.
The reporter continued to press for answers regarding the allegations, during which the owner maintained that soil testing had been conducted before the operation commenced.
He stated that approximately 800 tonnes of stone are currently stored on the property and asserted that the soil test determined the lot could safely accommodate up to 1,000 tonnes “it doesn’t even last for a month or two or three weeks”
He further stated “I glad if you can come check me house if you can give me lil advice on who me can go to”. When pressed on if he would be looking to assist Singh in repairs he further pushed back and avoided answering the question.
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