HOUSING and Water Minister, Collin Croal, has assured residents of Zeelugt and Tuschen Housing Schemes, East Bank Essequibo, that works to improve the current infrastructure will commence soon.

The minister met with residents of the communities on Friday, after an invitation from Region Three Chairman, Inshan Ayube.
Meetings were held in Zeelugt, Tuschen and Parika where there was a repeated call for infrastructural development in existing schemes.
While residents lauded the Government’s effort to working on the development of new housing schemes to meet the housing demand, they noted that several existing schemes were left without basic infrastructure.

Speaking to the issues raised, Minister Croal pointed out that the community of Zeelugt will benefit from road upgrade works in the coming weeks.
Further, he said that, under the Ministry’s 2020 work programme, the sum of $40M has been committed for road upgrades in the Tuschen Scheme.
Contracts for these works are expected to be signed in the new week as works are expected to begin after.

Those and other communities within the region will also benefit from other social infrastructural development projects, inclusive of the installation of solar street lights.
Additionally, citizens were also told of the regional authority’s development plan for their respective schemes.
These works are expected to fast track the Government’s housing drive and should aid in reducing the number of occupied lots found in schemes owned by the Central Housing and Planning Authority.

Meanwhile, persons used the opportunity to raise several other issues affecting them, including the need for a health centre to better serve the growing population in those schemes and improved access to potable and quality water.

Additionally, residents called for recreational facilities and police outposts in the Tuschen and Zeelugt schemes.
With regards to improved access to potable water, the minister committed to examining existing systems in a move to find long and short-term solutions.
The minister also spoke of the Government’s plan to emphasise better filtration systems for water systems throughout the country.
In response to the other issues raised, Minister Croal told residents that those will be forwarded to the respective subject ministers for their intervention.