Savings from the 2013 current budget allocation of the Regional Democratic Council (RDC), Region Five facilitated the rehabilitation of several streets, GINA reported yesterday.
It said that a number of these projects were officially commissioned yesterday, by Minister of Local Government and Regional Development Norman Whittaker and Region Five Chairman, Bindrabhan Bisnauth. GINA said that these projects included the Calcutta School Street in the Mahaicony/Abary area, rejigged at a cost of $3.42M, the Coco Cobaba Street in Belladrum, West Coast Berbice, done at a cost of $4.06M and the erection of a green heart timber bridge at Bush Lot, to tune of $1.55M, to enable access for 40 farmers to their cash crop farms.
GINA said that these interventions were in response to the appeals of the residents. It said that the roads were in a deplorable state, impeding access to other vital services in the communities including school, and residents appealed to the RDC for intervention. GINA said that working in support with the Neighbour-hood Democratic Council (NDC) and residents, the projects were executed.
“It has been some time since I have heard about this level of collaboration, RDC, NDC, contractor and the people, and this is what we want to have happen all around. The people must feel a sense of ownership, and I am sure you feel that, that you had a hand in this project. It does not matter that that hand was limited to engaging the contractor…this encourages us to want to do more projects in these communities, the level of cooperation is encouraging,” Whittaker said.
The Minister also congratulated the RDC for being able to facilitate the projects from their savings.
Also inaugurated were several other projects, according to GINA, mainly roads, some of which were undertaken under the region’s 2013 capital expenditure and others in collaboration with the Ministry of Public Works, the region said. The latter case, in partnership with the RDC through the 2013 miscellaneous road programmes, rehabilitated the First Cross Street at Number 29, a $4.72M intervention executed by SKR Construction, which will benefit approximately 60 residents and students in the Union/Naarstigheid NDC, as well as the East Sideline Dam to the tune of $7.6M, executed by M&B Construction, benefitting approximately 150 residents, GINA said..
The three projects were executed under the 2013 region’s current budget allocation, and these include for the benefit of Union/Naarstigheid NDC residents, the rehabilitation of the West Sideline Dam in Bushlot, the construction of a culvert at Lovely Lass and for benefit of the head teachers of the Nursery and Primary School at Mora Point, Mahaicony, the construction to the tune of $7.5M of the Karamat Head Teacher’s Quarter, GINA said.
Also commissioned was the rehabilitated Lichfield Community Centre, done via the President’s Youth Choice Initiative, at the cost of $4M.
