Region Five (Mahaica-Berbice) has proposed a $6.6 billion budget for 2023 under the theme “Equitable and Sustainable Development Within all Communities Within Region Five”.
The proposed sum is expected to be spent on several sectors including finance, health, agriculture, public infrastructure, and education.
It must be noted, however, that $3.2 billion is proposed for the education sector.
Acting Education Officer Kean Adams, during the budget planning, stated that $279 million will be spent on school buildings, $66 million on furniture and equipment, and $54 million for cleaning school compounds while a further $17 million is proposed for the maintenance of bridges leading to schools.
The Department is also proposing to purchase a truck, bus and a boat to be used by the Education Department. Additionally, a proposal for two more vehicles is expected to be included in the budget coming from the central Ministry.
Health is expected to take the second largest amount, with $1.8 billion.
This will see $5 million being pumped into maintenance to both Fort Wellington and Mahaicony Hospitals, the doctor’s quarters at Mahaicony, and several health centres in the region. The Health Department is proposing to spend $301 million on medical supplies.
Under the agriculture sector, $476 million is being proposed, with $78 million for the upgrade of farm-to-market roads and $143 million for drainage and irrigation.
However, under finance, the region is proposing to spend $379 million, and under public works $711 million, with $371 million for new roads and $61 million on bridges.
Additionally, $111 million is proposed for the maintenance of roads and a further $22 million for maintaining bridges, and $24 million for the maintenance of the river and sea defences.
Meanwhile, Woodlands/Bel Air Neighbourhood Democratic Council (NDC) Chairperson Carol Nurse noted that the NDC had submitted programmes for a nursery school to be in the project proposal.
“Three years ago, the Woodlands NDC had submitted programmes for a nursery school in our project proposal. In 2018 the MMA [Mahaica Mahaicony Abary-Agriculture Development Authority] did a sketch map of the area. We are now learning that the area sketched by the MMA is too small according to the standards. We now have another location in mind.”
The NDC head, who is also a Regional Councillor, explained that residents had donated a portion of land for community development.
“If we cannot get the school next year, I hope that we can get it sometime in the future because it is one classroom we use at the Number 8 Primary School to house the nursery school students. At first, they were accommodated in the auditorium…”
Regional Chairman Vickchand Ramphal explained that the issue with the land has to be sorted out before a proposal for a nursery school can be included in the region’s budget.
“Once the NDC takes the necessary actions, we can follow up,” Ramphal explained.
“We had consultations across the ten NDCs and the non-NDC areas and many of these proposals came out of those consultations,” he added.
Further, Vice Chairman Rian Pieters called out members of the opposition APNU/AFC for refusing to be a part of the budget proposal.
“Mr Chairman, I know for a fact that the Administration was awaiting submissions from members as it relates to the development of this document, but it is sad that members believe that the people of this region have no need for simple infrastructural development among others,” Pieters noted.
Last year, the RDC had proposed a $6 billion budget; an increase of $2 billion over the previous year. The region was given a $4.8 billion allocation from the Government’s $552.9 billion budget for 2022.
