Persons living in the Timehri North area will benefit from better access to potable water and paved access road in the not too distant future, Public Infrastructure Minister, David Patterson has announced. Patterson made the announcement on Saturday when he attended Timehri North first Community Day in the Bourne Area. Organised by an action group, the Community Day was intended to foster better relationships among the more than 300 residents living in the area, a release from the Ministry of Public Infrastructure said.
Patterson lamented on the fact that prior to the May 11 General Election there was the ominous threat to remove a number of residents for ‘squatting’ on government’s land. “You were here for more than 23 years, given some assistance for political mileage and then were threatened to be uprooted without any concrete plans for relocation. Well I am pleased to say that the APNU/AFC Administration will be creating a housing scheme within this same community to relocate the 15 homes that are in the pathway of the airport runway expansion project,” the minister disclosed.
At the minister’s last joint press conference he had shown reporters the designated area to relocate the residents. Meanwhile, recognising that most of the community depends on a small stream for potable water, the Public Infrastructure Minister said he will take up the matter with his colleague, Ronald Bulkan, Minister of Communities. The residents recommended several standpipes be installed at strategic locations to alleviate the situation. Further, the community’s main access road will be paved.
The minister also encouraged the residents to become regularised and secure their land titles. “You have all worked hard, get your titles from the Communities Ministry so that you can use it as collateral…get together and start thinking as a team on ways to boost community development,” the minister charged. In another few weeks, the minister is scheduled to return to the community to interact with residents.