Africa-Press – Seychelles. Mont Fleuri residents were yesterday able to voice a number of concerns during the public meeting, chaired by the head of State, President Wavel Ramkalawan, at the district’s secondary school.
One of the issues raised was government’s plan for the Ex-Mont Royale in Forêt Noire, which has been abandoned and was attracting people with anti-social behaviour.
President Ramkalawan said there was no plan for the place at present. However, once government finalises a plan for the building, it will come back to the residents for their views.
Traffic jam in the morning and afternoon was also a point of concern, with one student claiming that this was a result of heavy traffic at International School.
She proposed there should be a special drop off place at a specific spot in town for International School students, where a bus will take them to and from school, to ease the traffic jam.
The head of state said everybody was concerned with the issue of traffic jam and there was already a conversation, with the police, to see how the International School could organise itself, such as introducing bus shuttles from specific drop-off points in town, to transport the students to school in the morning and afternoon.
“This would definitely reduce the number of vehicles on that specific road. We should definitely resolve this,” he stated.
There was also a proposal to identify all the persons who have made significant contributions in various sectors in Seychelles, so that their names could be engraved in the country’s history. This was welcomed by President Ramkalawan, who said various organisations have started their own Hall of Fame to remember these people and other sectors should follow suit.
Another proposal was to introduce a special programme in schools to teach the country’s culture and tradition, as Seychelle’s culture was slowly being eroded due to foreign influence.
There was also a call to review the service offered by the Mont Fleuri police station, which was accused of being lethargic and mediocre.
Mr Ramkalawan said the station faces a lot of challenges as it has to handle a lot of difficult areas in Mont Fleuri. However he urged the officers to ensure they provide a professional service at all times and attend to all the residents in a timely manner.
A parent called for the introduction a programme for dyslexic children in school, to which the Minister for Education, Justin Valentin, said there was already an inclusive education programme, which targets all special needs.
He stated that however, Seychelles did not have local expertise for all special needs and was liaising with international agencies to see how they could assist the country.
There was also a request for the Mont Fleuri health centre to provide services daily. President Ramkalawan said although he understood the request, the lack of human resources, namely doctors and nurses made it difficult to offer the service daily. He called on the patients to exercise patience, until such time the issue could be addressed.
There was also a summary of the housing projects and land applications for the district. The Minister for Lands and Housing, Billy Rangasamy, stated that the number of applications were high while land was scarce. There are presently 101 applications for affordable housing in Mont Fleuri, with half of them over ten years old. There are presently 38 applications for mid-range condominiums and three for condominium, as well as 87 for land bank. He also stated that the Corgate Estate redevelopment was ongoing and 16 units are expected to be ready in August this year. The fourth phase including 24 units are expected to start next year.
Other issues during the three-hour meeting related to health, roadwork, housing, loud music, beggars in the district, sports grant and employment.
Today’s public meeting is at Grand Anse Praslin.
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