-President Granger says project remains a priority

CONSTRUCTION of a highway from Linden in Region 10 to Lethem in Region 8 remains high on the agenda of both Guyana and Brazil, and President David Granger remains hopeful that, within the next four years, significant progress will be made in this regard, even though sourcing finance for the project remains a problem.Speaking on Friday during his weekly televised programme, The Public Interest, President Granger said Guyana has to accept some responsibility for construction of this road. “It is something that we need to do. It is not a political matter, it is a financial matter,” he declared.

This project is expected to be a multi-million-dollar project, and the President is hoping that its financial arrangements would be worked out before 2020.

In underscoring the importance of infrastructural development, he said, “This country cannot be developed economically until and unless we build a network of roads and bridges.”

Funding to the tune of US$10 million, needed to execute the engineering design for the project, is yet to be sourced. Brazil and Guyana have, since March 2014, been discussing the financial aspect of the project after a proposal was submitted by a Joint Working Group established under the Guyana-Brazil Corporation Agreement.

Even as the respective administrations in Guyana and Brazil continue to explore their options, the Region 10 Regional Democratic Council (RDC) has crafted a “Plan of Action” for the development of the district, which includes upgrading the Linden-to-Lethem Road and the stretch of road from Linden to Kwakwani.

Region 10 Chairman Renis Morian has explained that, under the stewardship of former Regional Chairman Mortimer Mingo, a development strategy had been established and submitted to the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) Administration, but that was “swept under the mat.”

“The development of the road is vital to the development of Linden, Region 10, and all of the communities along that corridor,” Morian said, as he reflected on a project which had been endorsed by former Prime Minister Samuel Hinds but reportedly collapsed upon the involvement of the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C).