Problems take root in Florida

Furore around grass cutting has been stirred up on Florida Street.

Residents are fuming at delays in the schedule, overgrown areas and actions which left a healthy tree dead.

Ashok Mithai explained his upset with the municipality.

He said it was a struggle to get grass cut regularly, yet a portion of private land was trimmed frequently.

“They always give us the ‘few weeks’ time’ excuse.”

After some months of complaints, during which time experts were consulted and Mrs Mithai was oddly asked to identify a municipal tractor, the grass outside the Mithai home was cut.

Unfortunately, this spelled doom for a tree on the verge.

“They must replant the tree. If I had cut it, imagine the drama it would have caused.”

Mr Mithai also mentioned the blue skip bin that was removed due to abuse by residents.

Now, he said, residents simply dumped refuse in the veld.

However, the removal of the skip bin also eliminated the plague of flies, rats and snakes residents had complained so bitterly about in the past.

“If officials lived here, they would see it differently.”

Tony Nair, who resides down the street, said bylaws permitted the municipality to cut private land and bill the owner.

Well versed in legislature, Mr Nair believes the solution is to impose fines on dumpers and to erect cement barriers to prevent vehicles from dropping loads the vacant land, which is so overgrown as to pose a potential crime threat to the street.

The Newcastle Municipality was contacted for comment on these pressing matters, yet none was received at the time of going to print.