WITH a capital works programme budget of more than $1.1B, several projects designed to improve the lives of residents in Region 10 (Upper Demerara/Upper Berbice), are being executed.
Minister of Finance, Dr. Ashni Singh disclosed this last week during the signing of a US$12.3M contract to facilitate the implementation of the Linden Water Supply Rehabilitation Programme.
Alluding to the scope of the works in the region, he said, “Of that, more than $400M is being spent on housing and water; various projects are being executed across the region; in this regard, close to $200M is being spent on roads.”
According to the minister, more than 70 of the roads across the region will be constructed over the period 2010-2011.
“None of this would have been possible had your government not been attentive to managing the economy responsibly and ensuring that we have the resources.”
Meanwhile, Region 10 Chairman, Mortimer Mingo, affirmed that the Regional Democratic Council (RDC) is ardently in pursuit of the implementation of the projects under the programme, which includes road works, and upgrading of education and health care facilities.
He explained, “In our education programme, both capital as well as recurrent, they have intensified efforts to see the completion of projects before the beginning of the new term; in terms of infrastructure, such as drains, some of those are slightly behind schedule.”
Despite those delays, Mingo noted that the RDC has been given the assurance by the administration that every effort will be made to have those contracts completed on time.
He highlighted the fact that several of the projects have been delayed is of major concern to the regional authorities.
“This is an area of concern for us; but we will continue to monitor to ensure that our residents receive not only the projects as designated in our budget, but also that they receive value for those projects,” the chairman stressed.
He also assured residents that the quality of work being delivered will continue to be monitored as the RDC continues to advocate value for money for the benefit of the people.
As for improvement of the health services, he revealed that under the 2011 Capital Work Programme, monies are being expended towards the refurbishing of the Upper Demerara Regional Hospital as well as the rehabilitation of several health centres in Linden, Berbice River and Kwakwani area.
Mingo emphasized that these are just a few of the many investments that contribute to the overall improvement in the lives of the residents of Linden and the region as a whole.
“Over the years, we have seen tremendous improvement here; though the region is developing, there is still much more progress to come,” he stated.
He expressed the hope that the region will continue to witness more investment and employment opportunities, which will further add to the improvement in the quality of lives of the residents, especially the young people.