Public Works Minister engages residents along ECD to address concerns

– Govt working to ensure projects are completed with little inconvenience

Public Works Minister, Bishop Juan Edghill on Saturday engaged residents within the Better Hope/ Plaisance catchment following concerns about present infrastructural works in their communities that have caused some damage to their homes.
Multiple reports from frustrated residents highlighted damages to their homes caused by the heavy-duty trucks traversing the area. During the meeting, Edghill assured residents that the government would compensate for any damages caused by the road construction, pending proper verifications against the contractor’s initial pre-conditional survey.

To ensure a prompt resolution, he instructed the engineering teams, contractors (China Railway First Group), and the consultancy firm to conduct a comprehensive survey of all homes within the work path.
“Minimum… there will be some inconveniences. We know it’s difficult because an interruption to your life and inconvenience is not something that people accept readily. But this is for the greater good of you; the greater good of your neighbours and all of Guyana,” Edghill told the residents.

“Fixing these bridges is part of the contractual obligation.” “From now on and going forward, if a contractor digs up an area, they have to fix it, they cannot leave it for months, [contractors] if you dig up an area, you have to continuously work until the work is complete.”
Further, he added, “We are committed to progress, and please know that we are ensuring there is as little inconvenience as possible to you, our citizens.”
Only last month, consultations were held with the residents of Dochfour, ECD to address damages incurred during the East Coast Public Road widening and improvement project. Several homes within the project area were affected, and compensations were promised upon proper verifications.
Meanwhile, the minister had several engagements with residents along the ECD who are in direct contact with the East Coast widening road project from Sheriff Street to Orange Nassau.

He told the residents that the government is working to ensure that projects are completed on time and with as little inconvenience to citizens as possible.
At his first meeting at Cummings Lodge/ Industry, Minister Edghill, interacted with residents and reassured them that the government would not just take away anybody’s land without engaging them first. He said if someone’s property is in the way of the project, there is a process to follow.
“I am the Minister of Public Works who is responsible for the acquisition of lands for the public good, so if I have to take up a piece of your yard for the road to pass or for the drains, you will be compensated for it based on a procedure that is outlined in the law.”
“If there is a dispute where the reserve starts and ends and you have a transport or a title that shows that what we call the reserve is your land, there is only one way to resolve that, you will bring your transport and we will get the ministry’s surveyor, as well as the contractor surveyor, to do the measurement to make sure we establish the boundary. Nobody will be affected without due process,” The Minister assured.

At the Beehive meeting, the Minister and his team addressed the health concerns of residents after hearing complaints of increased dust in the community due to the ongoing project.
“We need to have a systematic sequential operation suppressing the dust to a minimal level, without construction there will be dust on the road, but the construction has magnified the problem, so let’s solve this now, the consultant and my staff need to log the wetting, so we will have the necessary information, we will know it is being done.”
Further, on the matter of relocating a non-operating shop in the path of the project, the minister has offered to have the contracting team relocate the shop, however, the owners have declined this offer asking instead for financial assistance to do the moving themselves.
In response, Minister Edghill has noted that though the shop is on the government reserve, the government is not opposed to assisting financially, once the cost of the move is not exorbitant.
The family has agreed to present an estimate to the ministry’s consultant in one week.
Edghill wrapped up Saturday’s outreach with a final meeting with residents of Blygezight, on the Railway Embankment, who had similar concerns as the other communities.