THE Ministry of Local Government and Regional Development on Monday awarded $41.8M in contracts for both the National Clean Up Programme and the Regional Solid Waste Programme of the $1B Clean Up My Country Programme. 

In keeping with the $500M allocated for the regional solid waste programme, a $6M contract was awarded to Associated Construction for the construction of an access road to the Landfill Site at Belview in Region 6 (East Berbice Corentyne).
Permanent Secretary at the Local Government Ministry, Collin Croal, related that constructing access roads to landfill sites in the regions is meant to “complement the Regional Solid Waste Programme”- an initiative which will see private contractors providing garbage collection services with “disposal of it in an efficient manner.”
Commenting on the progress of other sites in the regions, the PS stated that the Ministry will be re-assessing the scope of works in Region 1 (Barima Waini) with the intention of retendering by Friday, since the current tenders are beyond the Ministry’s budget. This will also be done in Region 5 (Mahaica Berbice).
Also, Croal said that arrangements for Region 3 (Essequibo Islands West Demerara) are currently being finalised with hopes that the tendering process will begin shortly.
Of all the regions, Region 7 has enjoyed some prominence in the media in relation to its regional solid waste management; this was according to Croal who disclosed that the Ministry will lend some assistance to developing the access road to the Region 7 solid waste landfill at Byderabo.
He said however that at this stage, the Ministry is “currently awaiting submissions” from the Region 7 Contractor, Walter Nurse, after it was uncovered by this publication that the contractor had adopted a lackadaisical attitude to completing the works.
Under the nationwide clean-up projects, other contracts were awarded to contractor Mike Lall for the cleaning of the drains in East La Penitence to the sum of $10.8M.
Similar contracts were awarded to Mike Lall for the cleaning of internal drains at the Bourda Market and desilting the Orange Walk canal at Bourda. These contracts were awarded at the sum of $13.1M and $7.2M, respectively.
Contractor Geoffrey James was awarded three contracts totalling $4.5M for the rehabilitation of the sanitary block at La Penitence, for the construction of a footpath at the La Penitence Market and for building a market tarmac and fence also for the La Penitence Market.
The Local Government Minister, in brief remarks, expressed his satisfaction with the current progress made in the Georgetown clean-up projects. “We accept that Rome wasn’t built in a day…. but I am confident that before December 31, we will complete the works.”
Minister Whittaker concluded his remarks with a caution to the contractors to complete their works in an effective manner.

(By Derwayne Wills)