DESPITE receiving President Ramotar’s assurance that remedial works would continue on the East Bank Berbice roadway until the International Development Bank [IDB] approves a $20B loan for its reconstruction, residents and hire car operators, protesting against the poor condition of this 25-mile thoroughfare that links New Amsterdam and Mara, parked their cars and other derelict vehicles in a manner that blocked the roadway, yesterday in a protest sparked after residents viewed a local telecast in which President Ramotar said that funding from the IDB to rebuild a section of that East Bank Berbice main access road will not be available before next year.

The residents collectively said they were shocked at the statement, and referred to a commitment made by the Head of State at an Arrival Day function at Highbury, East Bank Berbice in 2012, at which a promise had been made to have remedial works done to the road in a timely manner.
President Ramotar, speaking at the Berbice Chamber of Commerce and Development Association’s Awards Ceremony on Saturday night, said he is aware of the inconvenience experienced by commuters, and its effects on them economically. He revealed that government has approached the IDB for a loan in this regard, but the lending agency has requested that a feasibility study be first done before the  sum requested could be released.
“We have approached the IDB for money to do the East Bank (Berbice) Road. We don’t have the kind of money to do the entire road now. We are looking at $20B. Hopefully, we should get that money at the beginning of 2014. In the meantime, we will be doing some remedial work on the East Bank of Berbice Road this year,” the President promised.
The commuters revealed they were disappointed that the reconstruction of the roadway was not included in the recently released national bdget. They claim they are being given promise after promise.
At Glasgow Village, some distance south of the New Amsterdam township, two derelict vehicles were placed across the road, preventing access to vehicular traffic and forcing many persons to traverse the area on foot to attend schools and to go to work.
Hire car operator Mohamed Ali refers to the issue of the road as a long, hard and bitter one which dates back to over 30 years. “We have taken cognizance of the fact that $12.1B has been allocated for road projects. Out of this amount, $600M has been reserved for the maintenance of community roads for the year. No mention was made of what is the allocation for the East Bank Road.
“With all the heavy-duty vehicles that traverse (this road) with loads that are sometimes exceeding 20 tonnes, if immediate remedial action is not taken soon, drivers plying the East Bank Berbice/New Amsterdam route would be unable to provide any service, thereby affecting the lives of many, especially schoolchildren and the elderly, who are unable to move about by any other means to conduct their business other than by utilizing the services of hire car operators,” he said.
Meanwhile, police ranks monitoring the protest ensured that the demonstrations were peaceful, and that the roadway became passable after a six-hour blockage which had prevented a fuel tanker from distributing the flammable liquid across East Berbice.
Region 6 Vice Chairman Bhopal Jhagroo, who has a farm in the  East Bank Berbice area which he regularly accesses via the thoroughfare, informed the aggrieved citizens that the local administration has been making weekly representation to government about the East Bank Road. He promised to recommence remedial works on the road as soon as the national budget is passed in Parliament, and has extended an invitation to representatives of the protestors to have a meeting with him and other officials of the Regional Administration on Friday.