ATTEMPTS by the administration to upgrade Bartica, Charity, Parika and Supenaam into towns are likely to be delayed by the holding of Local Government Elections.
This was according to former Local Government Ministers in past media reports.

This initiative, which has been in the pipeline for several years, had seemed to be coming closer to fruition when the government had placed advertisements in the local newspapers inviting tenders to provide consultancy services for the revaluing of properties and the strengthening of urban management and administration in these four communities.
Funding for these projects was provided by the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) through a Technical Assistance Grant to the country, the advertisements said.
However, shortly after this report, articles appeared coming from the minister that while the “soft” part of this project – including the training of officials – was currently ongoing, there were significant implications in commissioning new towns before local government elections were held.
Since they were fully cognisant of these implications, the ministers were of the opinion that it would perhaps be best for these changes to be made following the local government poll, and they were hopeful, however, that the project could be completed before the end of the year, after elections had been held.
Reports indicate that on February 8, 2006, the CDB and the Guyana government signed a contract amounting to US$16.1 million to have the four communities of Bartica, Charity, Parika and Supenaam converted to towns as part of the Community Services Enhancement Project (CSEP). At the signing ceremony held at the Le Meridien Pegasus, it was disclosed that the CDB had provided a sum of US$200,000 as a grant for the project, while the balance was in the form of a loan.  The timeline given for the completion of this project was 3 years.
The signing of the agreement was intended to allow for the provision of technical assistance for services provided in the targeted communities, particularly the infrastructure and the Regional Democratic Councils (RDCs), with the intention that this would lead to their eventual elevation to towns.
Since then various projects have been done on developing infrastructure in the regions, including repairing roads in the communities, improving administrative buildings and constructing new markets.
Resources were also allocated for designing programmes to address issues such as solid waste management, community awareness and participation, strengthening urban management and a town transition plan to enhance financial and infrastructural management.
In January 2007, a contract to the tune of $29M was inked with the Jamaican company Trevor Hamilton Associates for them to engage in work to bring institutional strengthening to the four towns.
The main thrust of the four-month consultancy was to identify and clarify the roles and responsibilities of the various stakeholders in achieving the shared goal of attaining town status. Additionally, it was intended to provide a comprehensive framework for the transitioning of the four communities and to specify the timing and scheduling of the major activities, including the recruitment and training of staff, system adaptation and installation, communications and education.
Plans to increase the number of Guyanese towns was said to be on the government’s agenda for several years. Presently, six towns exist in Guyana: Anna Regina, New Amsterdam, Rose Hall, Corriverton, Linden and Georgetown.  During the 2003 Budget debate, then Local Government Minister Clinton Collymore had announced that $1 billion of that year’s $72.9 billion budget had been set aside for upgrading Parika, Bartica, Lethem and Rosignol to townships during the course of the year, but these plans never materialised.
Meanwhile, former president and Finance Minister, Bharrat Jagdeo had reported plans to launch a US$20M project for secondary towns in various parts of the country.
A Guyana Chronicle report said he made the announcement at a meeting with rice farmers, indicating efforts to secure funding will be followed up soon in Washington, D.C.

Six towns in Guyana are incorporated: Georgetown, Corriverton, Linden, New Amsterdam, Bartica, and Anna Regina, northwest of the mouth of the Essequibo River. Each town has a Mayor and Town Council, which are responsible for maintenance of the municipality.
Meanwhile, several attempts to contact the Ministry of Local Government and Regional Development for updates on this initiative have proved futile.
However, when asked their opinions on this initiative, members of the general public said that the proposal would have seen Guyana having faster development had it materialised
While some are of the opinion that having more towns in Guyana would see the nation being rid of unemployment and to some extent confusion.
They also said that it is vital for a country to have these innovative ideas put forth for the Guyanese nation to benefit and are questioning what happened to the funds that were allocated for this purpose.