MINISTER of Citizenship Winston Felix on Thursday disclosed that his department is working to establish passport offices in the Pomeroon-Supenaam (Region Two), Cuyuni-Mazaruni (Region Seven) and Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo ( Region Nine) regions by the end of the 2019 fiscal year.

This is in keeping with the administration’s vision of decentralising vital public services in capital towns. The minister on Thursday visited the Essequibo Coast to get a first-hand look at the plot of land that has been identified by the Guyana Lands and Surveys Commission (GLSC) in the town of Anna Regina where the region’s passport office will be located.
“Last year, at an outreach conducted by the Minister of State, the issue of passports and the challenge to travel to Georgetown was raised by many residents and I made a commitment that all efforts will be made to remedy this situation in keeping with [the] President’s wish to have government services easily accessible in capital towns,” said Minister Felix.

The identified plot is centrally located; with the Anna Regina Police Station, the GLSC Office and the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) Office within proximity. “Since Capital Regina is a capital town, we will bring the service to Anna Regina. This will cut out the unnecessary travelling to Georgetown; it will bring the service to Essequibians, thereby reducing the time they have to wait as well as the cost involved in travelling,” Minister Felix stated.

Meanwhile, the new passport offices at Linden and New Amsterdam are serving residents well and have significantly reduced the hassle and crowds at the Georgetown office. The minister recalled that only a few years ago, the lines at the central location would extend all the way to Barrack Street, Kingston. He said that upon entering office, President David Granger created the Department of Citizenship and directed that one of its first tasks must be to eliminate this unnecessary everyday struggle. Since then, more equipment was procured for the Immigration Office to improve efficiency and the decentralisation programme was commenced. (Ministry of the Presidency)