KINGSTON - The National Task Force, on addressing Guyana’s restoration to a land of great attractiveness and prosperity, wants repairs to the main public road, East Bank Essequibo and a ‘proper market’ at Parika/Hydronie, to be among projects implemented in Region Three, under Phase One of the initiative.
This is according to Head of the National Task Force Secretariat, Dr. Sewnauth Punalall.
Dr. Punalall told the Government Information Agency that these were among seven projects that were absorbed, when a team (including himself and Region Three Assistant to the Prime Minister, Hari Deokinanan) visited the Region on Saturday. The visit was in line with determining what needed to be done in the region, and it spanned Canal Number Two Polder to St Lawrence, East Bank Essequibo.
According to Dr. Punalall, the team noticed that the highway from Hubu to Morashee was in a deplorable condition. He said that there is a length of approximately ten miles that is in urgent need of repair, and approximately 8000 families are currently being adversely affected by this. These families, he noted, are involved in economic activities, including livestock rearing, cash crop cultivation, and saw milling and logging operations.
The team also observed that the area was in dire need of regular water supply. Dr. Punalall said that residents told the visiting team, that they receive water only between 7:30 and 9:00 a.m. daily, and that the pressure is so low, that they have to pump directly from the supply line and fill their storage tanks for use later. To this end, it was explained that most homes had to invest in water storage tanks, and harvest rain water.
Then there was the issue of the dilapidated main culvert, draining into the Hubu main drainage canal. According to Dr. Punalall, this culvert collapsed more than two years ago, and as a result, whenever it rains, the area is flooded. He said that at the moment, there is a makeshift wooden bridge over this culvert, allowing for unsure, but necessary crossing.
Other projects addressed during the visit included the run-down bridge at St. Lawrence, East Bank Essequibo, the degraded Canal Number One and Two Public Roads, and the Parika/Hydronie makeshift market.
According to Dr. Punalall, the wooden bridge at St Lawrence was built more than 30 years ago, and was repaired once, through self-help efforts by farmers. He said that it has been several years since no heavy - duty machine can cross this bridge. Beyond this bridge are large acreages of abandoned rice cultivation, he noted.
Parika/Hydronie market is a fairly large one with more than 500 makeshift stalls, and Dr. Punalall noted that the market is roughly built, unsightly and disjointed. He said that a proper market building, preferably a double flat structure, should be considered.
Project Restore Guyana, which will address national drainage, solid waste management, and the removal of derelict vehicles, traffic management, sustainable countrywide renewal, and welfare management of the homeless and addicted, and the mentally challenged, are some of the projects in the regions to be rolled out in three phases.
The first phase will run until May 2016, and will address critical interventions within the regions, as submitted by proposals from the region’s administration and the Task Force.
Dr. Punalall explained that the observations made in Region Three will be crafted in a plan for Phase One implementation, but projects overall will be determined by Cabinet.
