Housing, agri, infrastructure, service concerns raised as hundreds flock VP’s Public Day in Berbice

Hundreds of residents from across Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne) turned out on Friday as Vice President (VP) Dr Bharrat Jagdeo hosted a Public Day along with several Cabinet Ministers at the University of Guyana’s (UG) Berbice Campus at Tain.

From early in the morning, residents streamed into the venue carrying files, letters, application documents and photographs as they sought assistance with a wide range of issues affecting their daily lives. The concerns raised spanned housing, agriculture, infrastructure, drainage, employment, public assistance, land matters, community development and Government services, with many residents taking the opportunity to speak directly with Ministers and senior Government officials responsible for addressing their problems.
The outreach transformed sections of the university campus into a one-stop Government service centre, with ministries and agencies establishing stations where residents could present complaints, seek updates on applications and request intervention in matters that, in some cases, had remained unresolved for months. Representatives from a wide cross-section of Government ministries and agencies were deployed to the outreach.
These included the Ministries of Local Government and Regional Development, Housing and Water, Health, Home Affairs, Education, Agriculture, Labour, Public Works and Finance, along with agencies such as Guyana Water Incorporated (GWI), the Small Business Bureau (SBB), the Guyana National Bureau of Standards (GNBS) and the Guyana Tourism Authority (GTA). Their presence allowed residents to access multiple Government services and have concerns directed immediately to the relevant authorities.
Ministers sat face-to-face with residents while technical officers reviewed documents, investigated complaints and sought immediate solutions where possible. In several instances, matters were addressed on the spot, while others were referred for follow-up action by the relevant agencies.

Not receiving adequate responses
Agriculture Minister Zulfikar Mustapha, speaking with this publication, said many of the persons attending the outreach had done so because they were not receiving adequate responses through normal channels.
“Many persons came here because sometimes they are going to the offices within the region and they are not getting the regular feedback and they are not getting the problem addressed properly,” Mustapha explained. He noted that many matters were being resolved during the outreach itself, while others were being referred for further action. According to the Minister, agriculture-related concerns featured prominently among the issues raised. Farmers sought assistance relating to livestock, crop losses, access to planting materials and land matters, while representatives from agencies, including the Guyana Livestock Development Authority (GLDA), the National Agricultural Research and Extension Institute (NAREI) and the Guyana Rice Development Board (GRDB), were available to provide support. Mustapha said instructions were given to the agencies to assist farmers who suffered losses and required intervention.
Apart from agriculture, infrastructure issues also occupied a significant portion of the discussions. Residents complained about roads requiring repairs, damaged bridges, drainage challenges and unfinished community works, while contractors used the opportunity to raise concerns relating to ongoing Government projects.

Infrastructure issues
Public Works Minister Juan Edghill said his Ministry received reports concerning road works, drainage concerns, bridge restoration and issues affecting contractors. Among the concerns raised, he noted, were allegations that some contracts were being passed from one contractor to another, a practice he warned could affect the quality of projects.
“…whether it’s an outstanding road, the restoration of a bridge that the contractor would have probably destroyed while construction and did not repair, or issues of drainage, and they are also concerns that have been raised, but a very small percentage, about contractors taking the job and giving it to subcontractors, and then that subcontractor said, ‘Better yet, another subcontractor.’” Edghill noted that once such situations exist, there will be serious problems arising.
“…they see, they observe, and they’re engaging the engineers to ensure that once somebody gets a contract, we are not allowing subcontractors, because you don’t want people just getting a contract and then selling it,” he pointed out.

Housing-related concerns
Meanwhile, housing matters also generated significant interest, with scores of residents seeking updates on applications, allocations, titles and other housing-related concerns.

The Minister within the Housing Ministry, Vanessa Benn, said all of the Ministry’s departments were represented at the outreach, enabling officials to deal with a broad range of matters.
“We are particularly pleased when it turned out today that all the various departments of the Ministry of Housing are here,” Benn said. According to the Minister, residents were able to receive assistance on issues ranging from identifying house lots and pending allocations to title-related matters and occupancy concerns.
She noted that both Housing and Water Minister Collin Croal and Ministry officials spent the day engaging residents and addressing concerns as they were raised. Benn said the response from the public had been encouraging, with Ministry officials working continuously from the start of the exercise to process applications and review cases brought forward by residents. She also noted that some residents travelled from neighbouring Region Five to access the outreach. Housing Minister Collin Croal and VP Jagdeo also met directly with residents as officials worked to address cases throughout the day. Minister within the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport, Stephen Jacobs, said the outreach reflected the Government’s commitment to direct engagement with citizens.
“This is the type of Government we have here, where we come on the ground, speak to individuals, and really understand. People can come here and meet the Vice President, meet the Ministers and talk directly to them,” Jacobs said.
Throughout the day, residents moved between service desks and meeting rooms, many leaving with commitments for follow-up action or immediate intervention from the relevant agencies. Friday’s exercise is part of a series of public outreaches being conducted across the country by VP Dr Bharrat Jagdeo, aimed at bringing services closer to citizens while allowing senior officials to receive first-hand feedback from communities.

Over 22 trucks to Region 6
Meanwhile, the VP also handed over 22 trucks to the 19 Neighbourhood Democratic Councils (NDCs) and three municipalities in Region Six, fulfilling a key manifesto promise aimed at strengthening local governance and improving community services. During brief remarks, VP Jagdeo underscored the importance of fully utilising the vehicles for the benefit of communities, urging local authorities not to allow the trucks to remain idle or parked in compounds.