PORT Kaituma residents have ceased protest action after meetings with the Neighbourhood Democratic Council to discuss the way forward in rehabilitating community roads.

This disclosure was made by Permanent Secretary in the Local Government Ministry, Collin Croal, in an invited comment to this publication yesterday.
The protest action had been taken by frustrated residents who were faced with daily issues relative to bad roads in the area.
Minister within the Local Government Ministry, Norman Whittaker, said in a recent press conference that plans had already been in place to begin rehabilitative works on the roads, but the inclement weather had forced postponement of those works.
He said that government had allocated some Gy$30 million for critical works to be done on the roads, but the overall road rehabilitation exercise could cost as much as Gy$100 million.
Minister Whittaker explained that it was the best decision to put works on hold during the inclement weather, because the objective is to give residents quality road structures which would not deteriorate easily.
The minister said that Reunion Manganese, a Canadian company operating in the North West District, has been maintaining sections of the Matthew’s Ridge road and the main road to Port Kaituma.
Minister Whittaker assured that the situation would be addressed with urgency. He said emergency work would begin on Friday, September 14, on the One to Three Mile stretch of road, which is “the most critical section that requires grading.” An excavator owned by Region 7 would be used to do “remedial work” ahead of “more permanent” work that would be done eventually.
Port Kaituma residents used old vehicles, felled trees and other objects to block a number of roads on Thursday, including the one leading to the airstrip. On the first day of protest, residents had parked their vehicles in front of the offices of the NDC and the Regional Executive Officer.
And down in Bartica, minibus operators stayed off the road for a third straight day. Several of them picketed the offices of the Region 7 Administration on Thursday to demand that the One to Five Miles Potaro Road be repaired urgently.
Region 7 Chairman, Gordon Bradford, met with several of the demonstrators outside his office during the day, and explained the situation to them.