…as Ministers highlight region’s current transformation
President Dr Irfaan Ali, who was in Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne) on Saturday along with several Government Ministers, took the opportunity to outline several initiatives that he says will change the region.
His Ministers also underscored the importance of the lives of persons being transformed.
Among the Ministers who toured the region with the Guyanese Head of State were Susan Rodrigues, Minister within the Ministry of Housing & Water; Public Works Minister Juan Edghill; Agriculture Minister Zulfikar Mustapha, and Dr Ashni Singh, Senior Minister in the Office of the President with responsibility for Finance.
All four Ministers highlighted areas of transformation within the region.
Noting that the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) Administration promised to distribute no less than 50,000 house lots throughout the country during the party’s term in office, Minister Rodrigues said, currently the figure stands at more than 43,000 house lots being distributed since 2020. Of that number, she noted that 18,000 went to women only.
“And in Region Six, is no exception; we have already distributed 220 house lots in Region Six and on April 25 and 26, we will be back to distribute 1600 house lots to pending applicants who are waiting,” she said.
Meanwhile, Minister Edghill pointed out that since taking office, 2,365 contracts for road construction were awarded to persons in Region Six. Within the past year, 621 projects were done in the region, with many of the contractors being persons from the communities.
The Public Works Minister noted that 409 more contracts for infrastructural development in Region Six will be signed before the end of the week
He pointed out that in the town of New Amsterdam there was a thorough de-silting of the entire drainage and irrigation system.
“Berbice is becoming the next economic growth pole in this country.”
Agriculture Minister, Zulfikar Mustapha, who also addressed residents at the public meeting in New Amsterdam on Saturday, pointed out that under the agriculture sector, $70 million in contracts were awarded to persons for works in the town of New Amsterdam.
“There are people who want to derail progress – the President came to New Amsterdam and made a commitment that within a month, the NDIA (National Drainage and Irrigation Authority) would install two new mobile pumps. The pumps were installed. He also committed that we will rehabilitate the sluices and when we awarded the contract to rehabilitate the sluices, the New Amsterdam Town Council put a block to that project. But we will continue and ensure that that project goes on,” he assured.
Minister Singh, who has responsibilities for finance, noted that by the end of this year, $1.8 billion would have been spent on community grounds across the region.
He also noted that Region Six would have received the brunt of the A Partisanship for National Unity/Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC) Administration, when four sugar estates were closed.
“When the sugar workers earn their wages, when the rice farmers sell their paddy, when the cash crop farmers sell their produce, where is that money spent? It is spent in the markets and shops and centres like New Amsterdam. And during 2015 – 2020, the people in New Amsterdam saw how their town came to a grinding halt because there was no money circulating in the Region Six economy – they bore the brunt of that pain, and they heard the People’s Progressive Party articulate a vision for when we return to office,” the Finance Minister reminded.
