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Minister of Public Works, Juan Edghill inspecting ongoing works on Aubrey Barker Road alongside engineers (Photo: DPI/ March 5, 2024)

“We have tenders out right now for the continuation of another 1.3 kilometres of road to widen Aubrey Barker to four lanes, the current project is taking too long,” he stated.

During the inspection, the minister discovered that the progression of works is being hindered due to the placement of a Digicel pole, which is directly aligned with the ongoing construction.

It was further uncovered that the utility company was informed of this by the overseeing engineer but made no attempts to have the pole removed.

As a result, the minister immediately notified the company to have the pole removed before the end of the day, or appropriate action would be taken.

Ongoing works on Aubrey Barker Road (Photo: DPI/ March 5, 2024)

“There again, I had to make a decision on the spot. I called Digicel, if they don’t move their wires by this afternoon, we will publish a public notice informing the communities that we will have to remove the poles and the wires will be affected and the responsibility will be with Digicel,” the Public Works Minister emphasised.

Minister Edghill further explained that in January, the ministry signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with all the utility providers, outlining how the ministry will operate to ensure that no entity impedes the progress of others’ work.

The utility providers include Guyana Water Inc (GWI), Guyana Telephone & Telegraph Co Ltd (GTT), Digicel, Guyana Power and Light (GPL and the National Data Management Authority (NDMA).

Despite this, the minister noticed that utility providers are not being compliant with the MOU agreement.

“So, its again selfishness, utilities not putting their best foot forward based upon good faith agreement and of course the bottom line will be the Ministry of Public Works, the Government of Guyana we dig up the road a long time, our men not getting to work but there are direct utilities in the line of the alignment.”

Meanwhile, the minister highlighted that the Lamaha extension project is also facing similar challenges. He affirmed that the government will not allow contractors to delay projects without consequences.

“Government’s delivery of goods and services to people is priority, it is paramount that is why we are in government. We can’t keep hearing excuses,” he said firmly (DPI)

The contracts, which were signed in the presence of the Minister of the Ministry of Public Works, Deodat and Minister within the Office of the Prime Minister with responsibility for Public Affairs, Kwame McCoy, included the cleaning and desilting of community drains, and the construction of roads.

In an interview with the Department of Public Information (DPI), contractors expressed satisfaction with the government for providing them with the opportunity to benefit from ongoing programmes and policies.

Tiffany Greenidge, for instance, highlighted how these contracts would not only generate employment but also enable her to support her family financially.

“I must say that I am very proud of being a contractor because I am a part of the Civil Defence Commission (CDC) in my area and I always help out. This will also provide work for me so that I can look after my family since I am a single parent of four kids,” Greenidge stated.

Another contractor, Abiola Smith, emphasised that the government’s commitment to the welfare of its citizens is evident in various initiatives. She believes that these efforts will significantly contribute to the country’s ongoing transformation.

Abiola Smith signing her contract (Photo: DPI/ March 8, 2024)

“I must say that today I am overwhelmed by receiving this contract to help in my community. I must most of all say thank you to the Vice President because he has delivered his promise to us. I feel so proud to know that I will be able to uplift my community,” the resident expressed.

Lazeena Joseph, a young resident, expressed her happiness in contributing to her village’s development. She emphasized the significance of addressing the recurring issue of flooding caused by clogged drains in the area.

“I am very excited and the same time really emotional because this is a milestone for me to be awarded this contract. It shows how committed the government is to making peoples’ lives better. I am so happy to be helping my community by fixing the roads and cleaning the drains that oftentimes cause flooding in the area,” the young recounted.

The majority of the contracts were awarded to women, providing them with the opportunity to actively participate in the country’s development efforts.

Meanwhile, Roynell Berkley, one of the male contractors, noted the importance of involving the community in such projects. He stressed that empowering individuals in the community enables them to willingly contribute to the enhancement of their villages.

“It’s very nice that the government is giving contracts to the people in the area. Because as contractors within, we know what our community is suffering from and what it needs so we want to give out good work,” Berkley stated.

Minister Indar highlighted the significance of these contracts, emphasising that this initiative is yet another testament to the government’s commitment to serving the people and fulfilling its promises.

“We are fulfilling a commitment made by the Vice President, Dr Bharat Jagdeo when he came here on the 19^th of February…we are here again and between that time to now the engineers came and did the assessment of the area, they made the Bill of Quantity and they came up with about 27 contracts or what we call lots,” the minister posited.

Minister McCoy also stressed that the government remains committed to its vision of creating jobs and other opportunities for citizens across the country.

“We continuously build relationships with communities, we continuously invest in our people and empower them by creating jobs and other avenues so that we can set sail conditions for the comfort and the benefit of the people,” Minister McCoy expressed.

The ministers encouraged the contractors to execute quality work and deliver the project within its stipulated deadline (DPI)