Minister within the Ministry of Public Infrastructure, Jaipaul Sharma on Friday morning met with residents of Houston and Agricola, East Bank Demerara who were assured that a road and major bridge will be examined by engineers shortly with a view to having them fixed.
Accompanying Sharma on the visit was the Mayor of Georgetown, Ubraj Narine, according to a release from the Ministry of Public Infrastructure. The two listened to the complaints by residents in Back Street, Houston.
The release said that the two officials were told that the street has been lined with potholes for years and becomes almost impassable when it rains.
Sharma told residents that the rehabilitation of the road and the construction of concrete drains could cost about $80 million, considering its length. However, to allow for a faster solution, the Minister said that he will examine the possibility of a crusher run surface on the street for an immediate resolution. He added that an asphaltic concrete layer will be done if there is sufficient money.
Over at Agricola, Sharma and the Mayor’s attention were drawn to a tyre shop on the Public Road which had tyres blocking off access to the walkways and large vehicles encumbering the public road. As a result of this action, Sharma was told that children attending schools in the vicinity are forced to walk on the major public road since the pavement is usually encumbered by vehicles seeking the services of the tyre shop.
Fuming residents were advised by Minister Sharma to seek the intervention of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and City Hall as well as the Guyana Police Force.
Further along, the Mayor and Minister visited Flour Mill Road where a pedestrian bridge over a trench was in a poor state. One resident, the release said, complained to Sharma that a child recently broke her hand after falling from the bridge when a rotted board broke.
Sharma committed to sourcing the materials as early as possible to facilitate the bridge’s rehabilitation. The bridge has reportedly been in a bad state for over 20 years according to one resident.
