Residents of Watooka, Fair’s Rust, Richmond Hill and other nearby communities in Linden, Region Ten will soon get some measure of relief from traversing pot-holed roads as $13.9M has been allocated in the regional budget for road works, while Bosai has pledged $5M to the local authorities to augment this sum.
A section of Casuarina Drive that runs from the Linden Hospital Complex (LHC) to the junction at the entrance of Fair’s Rust has been in a deplorable state for a number of years, though several entities including current and now-defunct bauxite companies, the municipality, public works ministry and regional administration had patched several sections at different times.
Today, the road is in the worst state it’s ever been due to large and heavy-duty lumber and timber trucks traversing it, and compounded by the frequent excavations done by contractors of the Guyana Water Inc, National Drainage and Irrigation Authority and other entities.
Sections of the road at the entrance to the LHC have been eroded while parents whose children attend the Watooka nursery and primary schools have been forced to pay exorbitant transportation costs to have their children driven to school. Parents who cannot afford to pay have been forced to allow their children to traverse that section of the road by foot, while jostling vehicular traffic for the best ground to walk. Casuarina Drive is also the only entrance to the Watooka Club and Guest House which is the main venue for state visits, and the Linden branch of the National Communications Network.
Recently, residents, parents, taxi drivers and other commuters had taken a decision to block the road from vehicular traffic until the authorities decide to have it properly rehabilitated, complete with drains. This decision followed closely on the heels of a recent announcement that Bosai was undertaking to have the road done.
However, at a community meeting, the decision to block the road was aborted on the advice of Regional Chairman Kuice Sharma Solomon, Interim Management Commit-tee Councillor and resident of Richmond Hill Winston Smith, and other stakeholders. The community meeting was preceded by a caucus of key stakeholders where the RDC, Mayor and Town Council and Bosai totalled up the resources that would be pooled to ensure that the road and drains along the route are done to a high standard.
According to a presentation by Regional Executive Officer Youlanda Hilliman, under the RDC’s capital budget $40M has been allocated for road works in Linden. This sum includes $6.6M to upgrade the West Watooka entrance road, $9M for the Wisroc carriageway, $9M for a road in Kara Kara, $6.8M for Fourth Street, Silvertown and a total of $8.6M for two other roads in the town.
Allicock Road in Kara Kara will be upgraded at a cost of $8M; two roads in Amelia’s Ward will be done at a cost of $11.3M, one at Canvas City, Wismar, to the tune of $7M while the internal road works at Wisroc will cost $5M; Christianburg, $5.5M and Casuarina Drive, $7.2M.
Regarding drainage works, which fall under infrastructural development for capital works, a section of Amelia’s Ward will have works done to the tune of $6M; Central Mackenzie, $17.5N; Wismar Street, $8.5M and Casuarina Drive, $6.7M. With the recurrent budget, drainage works will be done to the value of $28M in targeted areas First Street, Christianbug; Kara Kara, Alstrom Alley, Middle Street, Silverton; Brother Mike Street and Canvas City.
Bosai Senior Personnel Officer Vance Reid also used the meeting to clear the air about the company’s commitment to assist. He said that the company is not involved in building roads and that there had been a misunderstanding in relation to this.
Instead he said, “We are willing to offer whatever assistance we can as a corporate citizen and have allotted $5M to assist with Casuarina Drive.” He noted that the company is also open to providing other forms of assistance.
“The money is there. We were only waiting for whoever to indicate that they are ready to get the job done,” he explained. Bosai had suggested that the works be undertaken by the Ministry of Works as it had done a commendable job at another location in Linden which the company had supported. Solomon and other stakeholders expressed gratitude to the company and pledged the region’s cooperation in getting the work done at the earliest possible time.
