Minister of Public Works Juan Edghill yesterday announced that his Ministry will be spending $100m to rehabilitate the Onderneeming Road in Region Two.
He made this announcement during a public meeting held at Rooster’s Place in the community and following several days of protest by residents.
He told residents that the road project was in his Ministry’s plan and it was just for the procuring process to begin.
He said that as of today engineers and equipment will be mobilized to the community so that maintenance work can commence. The Regional Administration will be overseeing and monitoring the maintenance of the road. He also ordered that residents who placed obstacles on the access bridge preventing truck drivers from entering to remove same.
Edghill called on residents to communicate with regional officials on simple things before the problems escalated. He also reminded truck drivers utilizing the road to go to their sand/loam pits that they have a responsibility to maintain the road as specified in their contracts with the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission.
Residents said that the protest was caused after there was a misunderstanding between a car driver and a truck driver in the area. The truck driver was said to have been “disrespectful” towards the car driver.
Region Two Chair Vilma De Silva and Regional Vice Chairman Humace Oodit also met with residents on Saturday for discussions on the matter.
Residents of Onderneeming staged over two days of protest sounding calls for better roads in the community. During their protest actions, they blocked the main entrance bridge with wood and debris, blocking health care workers from entering the village. Nurses and midwives attached to the Onderneeming Health Post could not perform their duties due to the blockade.
Protestors had said that they would not stop until their road is fixed.
“We need attention, the attention must be given to our road it’s long time we requesting meeting after meeting and nothing has been done, why are we left back? Roads are making in all other parts but not Onderneeming”, a resident, Derick George had said.
George added that he has been living for 12 years in the community and years after year regional officials have promised to fix the road but this did not happen. After hearing the Minister’s announcement yesterday, George said that he was satisfied and he hoped that the repairs would be done before the end of this year.
Approximately 2000 persons live in the Onderneeming Sandpit area. Several housing schemes have been regularised by the Ministry of Housing and Water.
