MoPI failing to maintain street lights in Regions 5 and 6

Dear Editor,
One of the major responsibilities of the Ministry of Public Infrastructure (MoPI) is to ensure that main roads and highways in Guyana are kept to standard, in order for Guyanese to traverse safely. Since the installation of street lights by the PPP/C Government, the responsibility of the maintenance of street lights has been a successful initiative of the Ministry of Public Works.
At almost every statutory meeting of the Regional Democratic Council of Region Six, several issues are being highlighted, and nothing is being done by the subject ministry to correct them. The issue of the maintenance of street lights across Regions Five and Six has been highlighted by councillors for the past three years, and, to date, nothing is being done to correct this chronic disease of “non-functional street lights”. While the coalition Government is boasting about installation of street lights, hundreds of street lights are not functioning along the roadways of Regions Five and Six.
Another important issue that needs urgent attention is the numerous amount of potholes along the Corentyne Highway. This needs immediate attention from the MoPI, but despite many appeals by the residents, the coalition Government is not interested in fixing these potholes, and as such, serious road accidents are being caused, resulting in the loss of lives.
Another important issue that needs urgent attention is the jungle that is growing alongside the Corentyne Highway, especially from Borlam to Palmyra. Since the assumption of the APNU/AFC coalition Government to office, hundreds of millions are being spent for the maintenance of the road shoulders in Regions Five and Six, but unfortunately, those areas are in their worst state ever.
During the administration of the PPP Government, former Regional Chairman Zulfikar Mustapha implemented a system in Region Six whereby the Regional Administration’s tractors and a slasher were used to ensure that the entire Corentyne Highway was properly maintained at a very small cost, unlike the exorbitant cost by this Granger Government. Why did the MoPI not consult the Region Six Administration to continue this system?
The MoPI is presently trying to ensure that the APNU/AFC activists and contractors benefit from the squandering of taxpayers’ money for this particular project of maintaining the road shoulders in Regions Five and Six.
Because of the constant cries of residents, I would like to challenge the Minister of Public Infrastructure to ensure that the cries of the people are being heard, and immediate action would be implemented to correct these issues.

Regards,
Zamal Hussain