– VP Jagdeo reassures oil revenues will be used for capital investments
Residents across Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne) will soon benefit from improved infrastructure as some 268 contracts were signed for rehabilitation works in several communities.
Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo addressing residents at Albion Community Centre
The contracts, which amount to the tune of $8.6 billion, were signed on Friday at the Albion Community Centre and works were expected to commence soon.
The signing was done in the presence of Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo, who led several Cabinet Ministers to the region.
According to Jagdeo, this investment is essential for him especially, since citizens throughout the country have been lobbying for better infrastructure within their communities.
Public Works Ministry Permanent Secretary Vladim Persaud and a contractor signing one of 268 contracts awarded on Friday for road works in Region Six
The Vice President noted that there have been similar demands by residents in Region Six, hence the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) Government would be injecting a whopping $20 billion to rehabilitate roads and bridges in Berbice.
He explained that recent meetings held in the region have prompted increased investment in community roads to $10 billion. It was also highlighted that the investment in the region was to compensate for the neglect it had endured for five years under the previous A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance For Change (APNU/AFC) Administration.
“Today, we are here now… over 200 more roads with about over 260 contracts [are] awarded. So, that will keep the promise that over 300 roads will be done this year… I said we had $4 billion in the budget for [Region Six roads] and that we would probably have to increase another $4 billion to get this done. Well, it will be $10 billion that will be spent on community roads in this region,” he stated.
VP Jagdeo further made it clear that in the next budget, the Government would continue to invest in the development of infrastructure in the region. He outlined that $10 billion in contracts had been awarded to facilitate the widening of the main access road to four lanes. However, Government is still ironing out the logistics to make the transformation possible.
“We want a major four lane from Moleson to New Amsterdam. So, that is what we are now looking at, but already contracts to the cost of $10 billion have been awarded to do 99 bridges on the main road to widen them. If we are going with the four-lane, we probably have to amend those contracts to widen them even further, so we can accommodate the entire four-lane road,” Jagdeo said.
Meanwhile, the scores of contractors who would be executing the works were issued a stern warning by the Vice President to not only complete the works in the stipulated time, but also to produce quality work by carefully following the scope of works as outlined in the contracts.
“If when we test that and we find that any one of those things is not met, you are not getting another contract [from the Government],” the VP cautioned.
He went on to urge regional leaders to also play their part in ensuring that the people of the region get value for their money.
Moreover, VP Jagdeo also used the opportunity to reiterate the PPP/C Administration’s commitment to utilise revenues from the burgeoning oil and gas sector for capital investments in the country’s infrastructure as well as other major sectors such as education, health care and other transformational projects.
“Capital works means building for the future. It allows new industries to be developed. It allows the citizens to have greater access to better services… So, we made it clear that any oil money has to go towards capital expansion, roads, hospitals, schools, sea defences, eating industry, so we can diversify the economy and produce new jobs in the future. That is quite clear,” he asserted.
The Vice President underscored too that upon assuming office, the Government has been challenged by the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and other external factors, but despite these, it has taken a proactive approach to buffer the effects of the rising cost of living.
He said, “We now have massive plans that we promised, we didn’t drop the plans because of COVID. We promised to cut electricity prices by 50 per cent in five years. We are now moving forward with a power plant to do that… Job creation was one of the things we campaigned on and that is why we’ve seen an upsurge in jobs now, since the last two years in spite of the COVID…
“A transfer of $6.2 billion into the pockets of the children and their families – that was not there before. People sometimes don’t realise how much that costs. And when you look at public assistance and pension, every $1000 increase in public assistance and pension is close to a billion US dollars. So, we increased the old age pension by 40 per cent. That’s about $1000 and we said we’ll double it by the end of the term, but that is equivalent to nearly $8 billion,” he posited.
According to VP Jagdeo, the PPP/C Government remains committed to all its promises made to the Guyanese people.
During the outreach exercises in Berbice on Friday, the Vice President, along with the Ministers, addressed concerns and issues raised by residents.
Joining the VP on the visit were Finance Minister, Dr Ashni Singh; Public Works Ministers Juan Edghill and Deodat Indar; Agriculture Minister Zulfikar Mustapha; Local Government and Regional Development Minister Nigel Dharamlall; Public Affairs Minister Kwame McCoy and regional officials. [Article adapted from DPI]
