THE Ministry of Housing and Water is currently working towards the realization of Community Roads Improvement Programme (CRIP) Two following the success of the first propramme which saw the enhancement of living conditions of residents in several communities
This disclosure was made by Minister of Housing and Water, Irfaan Ali last week during the handing over of six housing schemes to the Bath/Woodley Park Neighbourhood Democratic Council.
Ali stated that the current CRIP programme is about 75 percent completed and is very much ahead of its 2014 deadline, chiefly in Regions Five (Mahaica/Berbice) and Six (East Berbice/Corentyne),.
The minister related that this project will be brought to a close before the end of this year and that the ministry is looking at approaching the Ministry of Finance for an expansion/extension in order for the commencement of CRIP Two.
He noted that the CRIP Two programme will not only involve infrastructural development, but will include a cost-effective component as well which will see the formation of economic opportunities.
The Housing Ministry is determined for a more integrated planning and has set up a Community Development and Planning Department at the Central Housing and Planning Authority (CH&PA).
CH&PA is responsible for the progress of community enhancement plans that will see the socio-fiscal conditions of communities conspired in an analytical way so as to come up with a premeditated vision for each of them.
As an example, the minster noted that the Mocha Main Road is now being paved and the ministry has just completed the development plan for that area as well as several other areas in Regions Five and Six.
He disclosed that the ministry wishes to integrate those plans into a new programme under CRIP Two.
Ms. Karen Roopchand, CRIP Project Coordinator stated that the current CRIP programme includes capacity building and institutional strengthening of the Neighbourhood Democratic Councils (NDCs), which at the end of the day, will be responsible for the preservation of these roads.
Roopchand said that training on road maintenance has begun with the various NDCs, RDCs and small-scale contractors  and training on property valuation, accounting, information technology and local governance issue will also be conducted.
Additionally, ten NDC buildings have been improved to date in an effort to advance the working environment of the staff and computers will be provided to them as well.
CRIP is a US $18.7M project, when completed; this project will see the construction and rehabilitation of 244 roads, 206 of which are funded by the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) while 38 are being funded by the Government of Guyana.