MAYOR of Lethem Town, Carlton Beckles explained that currently there is one major road that caters for both ingress and egress in Tabatinga. Beckles noted that the new structure will not only bridge the gap between the housing scheme and Lethem, but will also ease traffic congestion. The bridge is expected to be completed by year-end, and will cost $60M.

The Mayor said that it is visualised that in years to come, the population of Lethem and its surrounding areas will increase, and traffic congestion will become an issue. “… On forward planning there should be another entrance, because Lethem is developing and there is a lot of vehicles traversing and there will be years to come that there will be traffic jams… so you will not only have one entrance coming out of Tabatinga, we would have another entrance,” Beckles told the Government Information Agency (GINA).

This bridge, he noted, is just one of several projects to prepare for the major developments in the town. Lethem has two branches of commercial banks, Republic Bank and Guyana Bank for Trade and Industry (GBTI). It has an upgraded airstrip, and there are regular flights to and from the border town. Persons can also travel to the town which is close to Brazil by bus, through the Linden –Lethem road.

Located in Central Rupununi, Tabatinga was established and further developed by the Central Housing and Planning Authority (CHPA) in 2003. This community is home to over 1000 people.

Through government’s support, Tabatinga has benefitted from major infrastructural development, including roads and electricity. Recently, the Guyana Water Inc., (GWI) expanded the water services in the scheme with the refurbishing of elevated storage tanks. The Regional Democratic Council (RDC) has also opened tenders for the construction of a new nursery school and teachers’ quarters in the community.

(GINA)