As part of the push to upgrade the nation’s infrastructure, the Ministry of Public Works (MoPW), said in a release yesterday that it is in the process of building access bridges at Canal Number 1, Canal Number 2, and Belle Vue on the West Bank of Demerara.
However, it noted that the National Drainage and Irrigation Authority (NDIA) had raised some objections with MoPW, as it relates to water flow and how things will be done when the canals have to be cleaned. In response, the Ministry committed to developing new designs so that the projects would progress smoothly.
Following this change of operation, Minister of Public Works Juan Edghill went on site to inspect, and to inquire from the contractors, how the work was progressing.
“ We don’t want to have these projects stalled again, because they are too important to give access to people. So in another six weeks, all three bridges in Canal Number 1, Canal Number 2, and Belle Vue should be completed”, he said.
Edghill ended his series of site visits with the following statements:
“This year we have a major programme to roll out; these little nagging procedural, administrative and communication issues cannot continue to go on. I have said it in the MoUs we’ve signed, if within two weeks a matter is not resolved, then it needs to be escalated to the level of the Minister, and it is clear that public officers are not following the guidance that has been given to them, so the Ministers have to get out there and give the policy directions to get these projects completed.
“We will not allow contractors to delay projects without consequences. The government’s delivery of goods and services to people is priority, it’s paramount – this is why we are in government. We cannot keep hearing the same excuses.
“We are pushing our engineers at the Ministry, and sometimes, people don’t see the volume of work that they are doing, they only see the issues that people complain about, but we are pushing them to get the work done. When we do not receive the support of other partners, we have to get on the ground and make decisions and that’s what we are doing.”
