– other major developments planned for area

RESIDENTS of Parfaite Harmonie, a new housing area on the West Bank of Demerara, are benefitting from a 3.5 kilometre access road that was built at a cost of over $604M. This road was commissioned yesterday as the Government of Guyana strives toward countrywide development.Minister of Housing and Water, Irfaan Ali said the Government saved $64M on the design and construction of the road because it was done by the Central Housing and Planning Authority (CH&PA) while the contractors

were BK International and Guyco.
CH&PA’s Chief Executive Officer, Mryna Pitt said the alternative access road was of critical importance to CH&PA since they were certain that it was needed to enhance more direct access to and from the area and relieve traffic congestion that would result as the area becomes fully occupied.
“It is designed to accommodate two lanes of traffic and is linked to the La Parfaite Harmonie Housing area by way of a heavy-duty bridge, which in turn inter-connects with the existing north to south access to La Parfaite Harmonie from the Canal No.1 road,” Pitt explained.
She added that the scheme comprises 8743 house lots and there is a projected population of approximately 40,000 people when the entire area is fully developed.
Further, it was stated that a secondary school is to be built shortly at Westminster Phase Two and five acres of land has been identified and allocated to the Guyana Water Incorporated (GWI) for the construction of a water treatment plant that will serve the West Bank area.
The Ministry is working with the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), towards an electricity supply project for the area and once there are no objections by the IDB, the project is expected to start before the end of the year, according to Minster Ali. Plans are also in place for the construction of a polyclinic.
Pitt added that the area also has reserve sites for the construction of a Police Station and Magistrate’s Court and that land is also available for commercial and industrial areas that will provide employment for persons in the community and contiguous areas.
Ali said: “In the 2014 budget $1 billion was set aside for rural enterprise development and for the creation of employment; presently we are doing an economic analysis in La Parfaite Harmonie for the establishment of a call centre to provide jobs for more than 300 residents.” A plot of land has also been set aside in Rect-Door-Zee to build a burial ground.
Ali added that the average investment per lot is approximately $2M. He stated that currently ongoing projects include upgrading of approximately 20 kilometers of road to asphalt. “For these areas where we still have challenges, I assure you that your turn will come. The total investment in housing in Region Three since 2000 is more than $30 billion,” the minister said.
“I remember the front pages of many newspapers showing holes… major roads coming out of La Parfaite Harmonie. Yes we acknowledge that there were challenges then and we are committed to changing things and today we are all sitting and standing on the output of that commitment,” Minister Ali stated.
He said security in the area is being addressed by the Government as, “only last night after we painted the road, some individuals tried to burn the paint and we urge residents to guard the new infrastructure.”
Ali announced that the Guyana Police Force is working with the private sector and has constructed a forty-foot container outpost which will be placed at the head of the access road shortly.
The paint used to mark the road is made of thermoplastic, a new technology in road marking and the Minister said the Government hopes that the life span would be four years.
“This is a direct fulfillment of the one of the President’s manifesto promises to the people of La Parfaite Harmonie,” Minister Ali declared.
The minister further acknowledged the magnanimity of rice farmer and businessman, Bhagwandin Madoo, who provided some of the land for the construction of the access road free to the Government.

“One of the major challenges to building this road was getting the land to connect all the major schemes to the front road because all the front lands are privately owned,” Minister Ali said.
Street signage and tree planting will also be implemented, increased house lot occupancy for low income families, developing a waste management strategy and the installation of traffic lights at the junction of the new access road and the West Bank Public Road, are among others plans on the horizon.
Emile McGarrel, Permanent Secretary Ministry of Housing and Water said the road provides access to six areas namely; La Parfaite Harmonie, Onderneeming, Westminister, Rect-Door-Zee phase one and two; and Schoonord and Lust-en-Rust.

(GINA)