The Minister of Public Works wants citizens to understand that they may have to be temporarily inconvenienced in order to benefit from the ministry’s ongoing clean-up programme.
In a release yesterday, the Ministry of Public Works notified the general public that its Urban Roads and Drainage Programme is still ongoing in communities in the city. This is to ensure clean and environmentally friendly spaces, and most importantly, flood mitigation. It informed that some of the works being executed are: the rehabilitation of roads, clearing and desilting of drains, as well as clearing of debris and encumbrances on the parapets.
According to the release, the ministry has taken note of residents of one community “fuming over lack of consultation on community works,” as reported in the Sunday Stabroek. As such it wished to make clear that it is never the intention of the ministry to not engage with residents.
It pointed to the fact that only recently, Edghill had reiterated his call to contractors undertaking works on behalf of the ministry to engage residents in the communities they are working in.
“Don’t go into communities and start work and don’t talk to the people… We introduce the contractor to the community, but you are there in the community every day, so continue to engage.”
He further stated, “I want us to be able to do better in terms of our community engagements, and while I am speaking to you here, I am going to use this occasion through the media to get the message to all contractors that are executing works on behalf of the Government of Guyana, engage the communities, we are not there to pick a fight, we are there to bring development, we are not there to interrupt people’s lives, we are there to bring improvement and benefits,”
The Minister expressed the hope that every citizen who is interested in seeing progress in his or her community will understand the need for temporary discomfort, to allow a process that will result in long-term development.
“It takes a partnership, development of communities takes partnership, it includes all of us, and we have to endure the temporary disruption and discomfort if we really are looking to fix these current issues of flooding and traffic congestion.”
The release also noted Edghill’s appeal to citizens to desist from disposing of their Christmas garbage on the parapets, as it can end up in the drains, thereby contributing to further flooding, as well as polluting the environment and making it unhygienic.
