MINISTER within the Ministry of Public Infrastructure, Ms Annette Ferguson has committed to commencing emergency repairs to the road and two bridges in the mining community of Rockstone in Region 10 (Upper Demerara-Upper Berbice). She plans doing so shortly with the help of the Regional Democratic Council (RDC)and the National Drainage and Irrigation Authority (NDIA).
Minister Ferguson, accompanied by Minister of Indigenous People’s Affairs, Mr Sydney Allicock and a team of technical advisors, as well as Region 10 Councillors, paid Rockstone a visit after receiving reports of the deplorable state of the road there, a secton of which has been rendered virtually impassable.
Given the magnitude of the work to be done, the RDC had solicited support in having the work commence earliest, and this was promised by Minister Ferguson and Minister Allicock during the visit.
One of the breakages that has almost divided the road into two will see repairs commencing shortly, as it was deemed a case of emergency.

Residents say that every time it rains and vehicles, especially heavy-duty trucks and lumber trucks pass, the breakage becomes wider.
Some residents had taken it upon themselves to construct a make-shift bridge across the breakage, but this can only be used by cars.
Councillors of the RDC Works Committee who visited the community last Saturday, have conceded that the breakage has indeed widened drastically within a matter of five days.
The ministerial team was able to see first-hand other breakages on the road that were caused by water running from the Paramakushi Creek as a result of the culverts being blocked.
Besides the breakages, the team also saw first-hand the need to commence as a matter of urgency, the repairs to the main access bridge that has almost lost its support base.
As one resident told the Guyana Chronicle, the support base for the bridge is the sand, and that has been separated from the foundation of the bridge.
“Something is moving the foundation from the sand, so you find that about three feet of the bridge is exposed. This means that this bridge can break and collapse any time,” the resident said.
A similar situation is occurring at the Paramakushi Bridge that is located over the Paramakushi Creek that runs through the community.
Residents claim that the large volume of water running under the bridge, coupled with the impact of the lumber trucks, may be the cause of its dilapidated state.
Given that the nearest hospital is in Linden, some 18 miles away, Rockstone residents fear that if the public infrastructures are not fixed earliest, there may be loss of life and limb.
CEO of the NDIA, Mr Fredrick Flatts told the Guyana Chronicle that the entity is willing to lend any needed support to bring relief to the residents of Rockstone.
He also revealed that three mini excavators are, for the first time, being permanently deployed to Region 10 in an effort to bring relief to the many areas therein, especially the Wismar shore, which has been affected by erosion.