SEVERAL projects , including the construction of a road link between Ogle, East Coast Demerara and Diamond, East Bank Demerara (EBD) were discussed when Public Infrastructure Minister David Patterson met with officials of the Demerara Distillers Limited (DDL) during a tour of the manufacturing facility on Monday last.

According to a release from the Ministry of Public Infrastructure (MoPI), Minister Patterson and Permanent Secretary Kenneth Jordan toured the operations of DDL, as well as surrounding areas at Diamond, where both entities embarked on major development projects.

These include the construction of a new highway from Ogle to Diamond and re-routing of traffic arrangements to be undertaken by the ministry. It was noted that the expansion and diversification of DDL’s operations require adjustments to previous land-use plans to which both the ministry and the company have agreed.

It was noted that the visit by the minister and team follows a previous meeting between the government official and a team from DDL headed by its chairman Komal Samaroo, at which the land-use issues were discussed and agreed upon in principle.

It was noted that Minister Patterson subsequently reported to Cabinet, while Samaroo reported to the company’s board of directors, the outcome of the discussions.

The ministry said the visit facilitated on-the-spot examination of the areas identified for the various projects, as well as specific works to be undertaken to improve drainage, reduce traffic congestion and enhance road safety.

Among DDL’s expansion plans are the construction of a new packaging facility, a new headquarters building, the establishment of a solar farm for energy generation and relocation of the Topco juice plant.

Monday’s discussions also addressed issues such as future development of the area when the road from Brazil and a deep-water harbour eventually come on stream, the use of liquid natural gas (LNG) and the efficient transport of products for export to ports in the capital, Georgetown.

Minister Patterson and Samaroo indicated their pleasure at “the meeting of the minds” of both the government and DDL on matters that needed to be addressed and indicated that teams from both sides will immediately begin work on a number of action items agreed upon.

The ministry said the tour included visits to DDL’s bottling plant, warehouse, distillery, Topco juice plant, head office and the Heritage Centre where the visitors were hosted to a working lunch.