Housing programme gaining steam
-- 10m euros to service 6,000 house lots
by Jaime Hall
Guyana Chronicle
May 29, 2004
MINISTER of Housing and Water Shaik Baksh is objecting to a recent televised newscast which highlighted certain roads in need of repairs, citing it as "unfair and biased."
Members of the media were updated yesterday at National Communications Network (NCN) studios by the Minister about ongoing infrastructure works across the country.
The Minister also added that he is visiting communities on a weekly basis to meet with residents to update them and address issues of concern.
According to Minister Baksh, he was advised by his engineers that it would be a waste of resources to fix the main road at Parfaite/Harmonie since heavy duty vehicles would be accessing that road regularly.
Currently, that road is made of sand loam and with the rains it is now in a slushy state. “This was expected,” the added.
The minister pointed out that the main road would be maintained regularly and not paved due to heavy equipment traversing the area with materials to build the infrastructure.
The paved roads will be built after the heavy machines, which include earth moving equipment, completes work in the area, he explained.
He also pointed out that road repairs are ongoing in Eccles Section BB, but the inclement weather forced the contractor to temporary suspend his operation until the weather improves and labeled the newscast as “negative reporting”
“Going into an area and looking at one road and saying that the ministry is not been doing enough work is wrong” he added
There are just under 250 large housing areas and the Government is spending large sums of money at this point to put in basic infrastructure, but the policy of the Ministry is to do so in an incremental way to effectively service all these areas, the Minister stated.
He spoke of the rapid progress over the last two to three years, and promised that within the next two years the significant impact will be obvious in all these areas.
He reported that Phase one of the Government of Guyana / IDB programme, is almost completed and has 12 areas in a number of Regions.
In Region Two (Pomeroon/Supenaam) infrastructural works on Charity, Anna Regina, Pomona are completed and Charity extension is at 80% completion.
In Region Three (West Demerara / Essequibo Islands ) ‘Block A’ Tuschen East and West 2200 house lots serviced and completed while in Plantation Best 80% and in the Diamond /Grove Scheme Diamond component is completed and Grove is 90%.
Non Pariel is 100%; Foulis 90% and Good Hope 70 % completed. Also Hope Waterloo Experiment is 80% finished while in Amelia’s Ward 55% of the roads are completed and 100% of the water network and supply.
He explained that the Bartica, four miles scheme had a delay since it comes under GOG / IDB programme and this should come on stream within the next two months.
Under phase two:
Numerous new Housing Schemes and Squatting Settlements will receive enhancing and the designs are being completed to be up for tendering by August 2004.
Minister Baksh added that a large chunk of Sophia will be included under phase two of the GOG/IDB programme and he has already briefed residents.
Sections A;B and C the largest of the areas, in Sophia will receive all paved roads, drainage net work, upgrade water supply and bridges where necessary, the Minister said.
Farmers Field (Block E) and Plum Park, Sophia are already completed.
Members of the media were informed that under the GOG/EU programme some 6, 000 house lots will be serviced at a cost of $10M Euros.
Also under the Government budget through the consolidated fund, $200M has been allocated this year for numerous areas, including Mocha.
Under the Ministry’s programme some twenty areas are being targeted across the country for infrastructural development, the Minister announced.
He added that the hinterland areas are also benefiting from basic infrastructure for housing scheme. Some of the areas highlighted by the Minister were; Kokerite, Region One (Barima/Waini), Mahdia in Region Eight (Potaro/Siparuni), Culvert City in Region Nine (Upper Takutu /Upper Essequibo), Kwakwani and Amelia’s Ward in Region 10 (Upper Demerara/Berbice).
The Minister also announced that approximately 55 areas are to be transferred to the Neighbourhood Democratic Council (NDCs) and this initiative will allow them to receive benefits, including maintenance of infrastructural works.
On the issue of the electrification programme Minister Baksh stated that his Ministry is working closely with the Office of the Prime Minister and a committee has been established to accelerate the programme.
He added that the committee is currently working on prioritizing areas for electricity under the first phase.
In the water sector Minister Baksh expressed some amount of dissatisfaction with the level of service provided to East Coast Demerara Residents. He noted that major scheme have been completed including those at Eccles, Pouderoyen, Rose Hall, La Bonne Intention (LBI) and Bartica.
Government has allocated $5M to upgrade the water service in Region Nine and Guyana Water Incorporated (GWI) has set up task force and a leakage management team to speed up the projects around the country.