He made this call on Sunday when he visited the near-completion of rehabilitation works of Fakilia Street in Bundung Borehole, where it took over four weeks and over 200 truckloads of gravel and boulders, costing D7,000 to completely transform the street into a levelled, compact and motorable highway.
The majority leader arrived at scene in his Toyota four-by-four car, driving for almost 500 meters on a flat, graveled road without potholes and gullies. Stopping near the workers, and unable to hide his excitement, he disembarked from his vehicle and said: “This is unbelievable!” referring to the state of the road that was completely abandoned by vehicles for the past several years and pedestrians during the rains.
“This is a surprise package. Such projects are not meant for individual interventions. I can’t imagine this street being transformed like this… To appreciate this works, you need to see the state of this street before and now,” Mr Jatta said.
As the works progress on this street, which VDF officials described as “the worst street” they have ever worked on in all their rehabilitation projects, other trips of gravel were being delivered to fill out potholes on Bundung Highway, just near the ‘Sarahule mosque’ and Bundung Bantaba.
Mr Saihou Fofana, member of the VDF executive, described their community’s interventions as non-political and that their intention was basically to complement the efforts of government in national development. “VDF is an organisation that is set up purposely to help the needy, look into the constraints and problems of the underprivileged, and provide support where we can,” he told The Standard.
He noted that one of the problems that severely affects communities in The Gambia is access roads, especially when it starts to rain. Last week, the Foundation intervened in Tallinding, where the No 2 Street East of the cemetery, popularly called Dawda Badjan Street was rehabilitated.
Adama Jeng, vice chairman of the VDF board of directors, said the foundation was helping to create access for people through the rehabilitation works. “This Fakilia Street is a crucial access road for school children and parents to one of the most populous schools in Kanifing municipality as well as the Bundung Borehole market and the Jammeh Foundation Hospital and so forth.
By Sanna Camara
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