THE Regional Democratic Councils (RDCs) of Regions 1-10 were able to successfully complete over 90% of their 2012 Capital Work Programme during the year; this is according to Minister within the Ministry of Local Government and Regional Development, Mr. Norman Whittaker.

“While four of the administrative regions achieved 100% each; four other regions achieved between a 90 to 98% completion rate, of a budget allocation of $2 412.6B under the capital programme. The ten RDCs expended $2.247 B or 93.1% under the Education, Health Care, Infrastructure and Agriculture programmes. Tens of thousands of children and adults have benefitted from this substantial investment in human capital” he pointed out.
Speaking with the Guyana Chronicle in an interview at his office at the ministry located at Kingston Georgetown, Whittaker attributed the high completion rate to continual monitoring and supervision of works in progress by Local Government staff within the Ministry of Local Government and Regional Development and at the level of the Regional administration and the Neighbourhood Democratic Councils (NDCs); together with the ministry’s intensive training programmes that targeted the Regional Executive Officers and other senior government officials at the regional and central level. Whittaker further commented that the ministry will continue during 2013 to monitor and provide oversight over community projects at the level of the Neighbourhood and the Village /Community.
“Projects executed during 2012 included construction, extension and rehabilitation of school and health facilities; upgrading of roads, extension of electricity supplies / purchase and installation of solar lighting systems, empoldering of farm lands; upgrading of housing schemes and provision of water supplies and acquisition of transportation viz: outboard engines for communities” he noted.
Whittaker added that the Ministry of Local Government and Regional Development expended $ 389.7M or 95.6% of its Capital Budgetary Allocation for 2012. Projects included the completion of the market tarmac and provision of parking facilities at Kumaka, Santa Rosa Village in the Moruca Sub Region of Region One (Barima Waini); provision of solar lighting systems with accessories to a number of Communities including Kimbia and Wiruni in Region 10 (Upper Demerara- Upper Berbice) and the provision of $ 282.0M in subventions to the 65 NDCs/IMCs and the 6 Municipalities across Guyana. A significant amount of this budgetary allocation was used to fix roads and bridges and collect and transport garbage within the villages.
Meanwhile, the ministry has also intensified its efforts to deal with the management of solid waste across the 10 Administrative Regions and in this regard, was able to identify a number of landfill sites in Regions 1 to 3 and 5 to 10 and facilitate contractual arrangements between Private Contractors and the respective RDCs to construct and operate these sites to accommodate solid waste in a controlled and safe manner while work continues on the Haags Bosch Landfill which serves residents of Region 4, Whittaker reported.
Concluding, he stated “during 2013, the ministry intends to develop its Five Year Strategic Plan even as we continue to train staff and to monitor works taking place in the Regions, the administration of the Hinterland School feeding programme targeting pupils in Primary Schools across the Hinterland Region One (Barima Waina), Seven (Cuyuni Mazaruni), Region Eight (Potaro Siparuni) and Region Nine (Upper Takatu- Upper Essequibo) would be monitored and coordinated by the ministry even as we continue to work with other sector ministries to advance the Education, Health, Infrastructure and Agriculture programmes across the 10 Regions.”