Dear Editor,
I do not think that there is a single Guyanese who did not feel pleased when it was reported, that President Donald Ramotar on the eve of the Independence anniversary announced that the government would be re-opening the 50-year-old road project between Parika and communities close to Bartica.
Reports went on to say, that President Ramotar at the time said that when constructed the Del Conte road had the possibility of opening up thousands of acres of new lands for agricultural cultivation, thereby increasing food production and securing greater economic opportunities for farmers, while providing a much needed road link to areas formerly only accessible by river. This area, he said, is one of the two possible new agricultural frontiers that was being looked at for opening up. The other is in Region 9.
While this is excellent news and I am in total support of the re-opening of this road, I have some questions for President Ramotar, relevant government officials and members of parliament. The first question is why is President Ramotar skipping the rehabilitation of the East Bank Berbice road, which at present serves a lot more people, to bring up the Del Conte road?
Of note a little over one month ago, on April 11, 2013 there appeared in this paper the headline, ‘Berbicians protest delay of new East Bank road.’ Similar headlines appearing in the press are quoted here: ‘Mara Road, Heathburn bridge worry residents’ (September 22, 2008); ‘East Bank Berbice residents protest over state of road’ (July 17, 2009); ‘East Bank Berbice roadway budgeted for $18M overhaul’ (July 20, 2009); ‘Repair East Bank Berbice road promptly’ (July 29, 2009); ‘East Bank Berbice road in deplorable state’ (August 1, 2009); ‘Residents block road at Glasgow in protest at deplorable condition’ (February 21, 2012); ‘East Bank Berbice end protest over road’ (February 23, 2012).
It must be noted that East Bank Berbice already has agriculture, for instance, Mara produce is hauled 25 miles to New Amsterdam markets, the sugar workers going to Blairmont. There is a cement bagging facility at Everton, a GuyOil terminal, bauxite operations and ironically, even a road-construction firm, which many residents say has been partly responsible for damaging the road.
Additionally, farmers do depend on the road to transport their produce out of Mara and other farming communities. The Guyana Sugar Corporation also shuttles its workers along the road so that they can get to the sugar cane fields at Providence. Not as much can be said of the Del Conte corridor although considerable potential exists. What is the criterion for neglecting one for the other?
It is my experience that writing letters to government ministries asking questions about policies and guidelines for different ventures do not get responses. Maybe eye to eye contact is what government officials prefer, but a lot of potential business investors would avoid this, preferring to have written responses to queries before deciding to move forward. That is why there is no move by some investors I am aware of, who are inherently willing to invest in the upgrade of most of the known road networks in Guyana, including the Del Conte road, Linden to Lethem road, the East Bank Berbice road, Linden to Kwakwani road and more.
They are willing to do these roads at no cost to the tax payers of Guyana but may want to offset the cost with access to agriculture lands, gas stations and housing lands along the roads, or utilize different aspects of the BOOT formula. If President Ramotar, Mr Robeson Benn or any relevant minister of government want to openly to express their position on the road-building proposals I put forward, there will be a lot of takers rushing to Guyana.
Yours faithfully,
F Skinner
