In the National Assembly, Minister of Public Works, Robeson Benn, commenting on the East Bank Berbice thoroughfare, said, “Works along that road will begin in the last quarter of this year, but they will do it in parts.”
Drivers, motorists and residents have had it with the condition of the roadway and have staged several protests and road shut-downs.
From Tacama Turn to Sisters’ Village will be included in the first phase. The second phase will be from Sisters’ Village to Plegt Anker. The third phase would be from Plegt Anker to Mara. The first phase, he added, will bring “some sort of comfort to residents from Tacama to Sisters which is where the majority of the population resides.”
“I understand from the Minister when he made his budget presentation that the study is there, progressing smoothly.”
Armogan said that it is difficult to ask East Bank Berbice residents for more patience “because in my own opinion, that has been one of the roads that have been giving me the most headaches since I came into this job.”
He said that the very first week of assuming the Chairmanship of Region Six a few years ago, there was a large protest that shut down the entire roadway. “I had to go there and appease the people, I have a lot of friends on the East Bank Berbice and it’s pretty difficult to deal with them every time you got to go up there, especially when you have to tell them another story—it’s not easy for me.”
He said that he will be the happiest person when that road is completed. “It is really giving me nightmares and every year you have two or three protests and it’s not easy to go and tell the people the same thing year after year.”
One of the things that has been able to appease the situation, he said, is that the Ministry of Public Works has awarded a contract to H. Nauth and Sons Civil Construction Services to do remedial works on the roadway, “to just keep filling the holes and to make sure cars and vehicles are not damaged.”
He said that H. Nauth has informed him that the contract expired last December. “Right now the Ministry is looking to give him another contract from now until the road construction is expected to begin.”
A lot of applications, he said, have been received from overseas- based Guyanese with regards to applying for lands in Mara and other areas. “People are applying for large acreage of lands.”
Slothful contractors
Armogan has said that the Regional Administration is having a lot of problems with road contractors in the Berbice area. Many of them are lagging behind their work “and operating too slow.”
Speaking with Kaieteur News, Armogan added, “They (the contractors) pick up the initial sum of money and mobilise and so on and some of them haven’t completed fifty per cent of what was given to them as of December last year.”
Others have complained of shortage of road-building materials such as stone and crusher- run.
These factors have affected the pace of work by the road contractors but some contractors are taking advantage of the situation and moving at a snail’s pace.
He named one contractor, Latchman Contractors, based on East Coast Demerara, who was contracted to build streets and roads in Black Bush Polder, “Two years ago he started some work there and he is yet to complete the works.”
Latchman Contractors was awarded by the Ministry of Public Works in Georgetown.
“Every time we go into Black Bush Polder, the people are up against us and this contractor does not seem to get his act together. He needs to get the work done—it’s two years now he is having works and other people have come long after and they have completed it.”
Armogan said that the administration has written to the contractor on several occasions. He noted, too, that legal action in the courts would be a long and drawn out process, “but we are looking to blacklist him.”
By Leon Suseran | BY KAIETEUR NEWS