President Jagdeo assures N/A businessmen of Govt.’s efforts to help them rebuild
--- $1.7M given to vendors after Pitt St. fire By Jeune Bailey Van-Keric
Guyana Chronicle
July 20, 2003


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NEW AMSTERDAM -- President Bharrat Jagdeo began his two-day visit to Region Six (East Berbice/Corentyne) yesterday, with a walk-about in Pitt Street and assuring the business community that his administration remains committed to seeing Pitt Street and other affected areas rebuild and become internationally competitive.

Fire partially gutted the main commercial thoroughfare on March 8, destroying 19 business premises, leaving 150 persons jobless and reducing millions of dollars’ worth of cash, property and commodities to ashes in its wake.

Approximately 19 vendors who suffered in the Pitt Street fire have already received $1.72 million in relief from Government.

Faizal Jaffarally, who served as secretary to the committee appointed to help the fire victims cope with their losses, said the vendors received from $20,000 to $200,000 per person.

The committee was headed by Presidential Advisor on Business Maniram Prashad, with Nirmal Rekha serving as treasurer.

Apart from providing monetary assistance to the vendors, Government has also offered rehabilitation and rebuilding concessions to the victims and mandated the Central Housing and Planning Authority to speed up the processing and approval of building plans for those persons who intend to rebuild.

At President Jagdeo’s intervention, the entrepreneurs will receive duty-free concessions on imports to rebuild their businesses. He said yesterday his Government remained committed to doing whatever it could to ensure that Pitt Street rebuilt from the ashes.

As part of his walk-about yesterday, the Guyanese leader had a first-hand look at the reconstruction of buildings and chatted with businessmen and shoppers in New Amsterdam.

He also had a closed-door meeting with PPP/C activists at Freedom House in Coburg Street.

He then met with residents of Maratraite, commonly called Mara, East Bank Berbice. The residents raised several issues of concern with him and he plans to address those concerns when he visits the community today.

Those accompanying the President include Agriculture Minister Satyadeow Sawh, Housing and Water Minister Shaik Baksh, Regional Chairman Kumkarran Ramdass, Member of Parliament Zulfikar Mustapha, and Community Relations Officer Faizal Jafarally.