Regional Chairman, Region Five (Mahaica/Berbice) Vickchand Rampaul in giving developmental highlights of the region and more so, Onderneeming Village reported that the village has seen its fair share of infrastructural developments. He disclosed that in his five years in office, the community benefitted from road and streets repairs and re-paving as well as, drainage and irrigation works, bridges and walkways constructed. Rampaul stated that the internal streets within Onderneeming Village was repaired  and resurfaced and others upgraded to an acceptable
standard. He pointed out that in New Hope Housing Scheme, they constructed roads and installed culverts for drainage and in June this year, the area benefited from electricity, for the very first time. This village has been in existence for the past five years.

As for Onderneeming New Scheme, Rampaul said they have good roads and irrigation, electricity, potable water supply and all the basic amenities except land line phone service. The Regional Chairman disclosed that they have made more farm to market roads accessible for farmers to transport their produce easily with the upgrade of trenches, canals, dams and roads. Rampaul pointed out that $100M was allocated for drainage and irrigation works within the region and they have had assistance from the Ministry of Agriculture. He stated that the rehabilitation of schools, health centres and other government buildings are on the cards, as well.

Rampaul revealed that they have done a lot of work in the farming communities to bring the much-needed relief to farmers in the region. He said Onderneeming Village is a place where the
people are business-oriented  and make an honest living doing many things since they are multi-talented. Onderneeming in focus Meanwhile, Neighbourhood Democratic Council (NDC) Assistant Overseer/ Chair of the Hopetown Land Coop Society, Renai McAlmont told the Pepperpot Magazine that Onderneeming is booming with development in which two new housing
schemes are progressing rapidly in the housing drive.  She disclosed that Onderneeming Village is owned by the Hopetown Land Coop Society since the lands are ancestral and was bought by
ex-slaves and those lands are managed by the Coop.

McAlmont reported that the plots for housing are sold only to people residing within the boundaries of #22/Bel Air Village to Fort Wellington Village. She added that the Coop however, made a mistake by selling plots to some overseas based-Guyanese, who after receiving land titles, did nothing to construct houses on the lands as such, they are not fostering housing development.
McAlmont stated that both North and South Onderneeming Village has about 600 house lots, most of which are occupied and more houses are being built in the new housing scheme. She reported that the area is developing but it has been a real struggle in terms of telecommunication in which they have no land line service and they are forced to seek the services of private cable
company and the service is not good.

“We need land line phones and good internet services because the children have to access the internet for their school work and the use of telephones are vital in communication,” she said.
McAlmont added that the Coop released some lands at the rear of the village for residents of New Hope Housing Scheme to farm cash crops and to rear livestock. “The Coop has 800acres
of rice lands of which they rent and monies collected are used to develop the Coop and within recent times they have had to spend $8M to make the rice lands accessible for farmers,” she said.
She noted that the Coop is working closely with the NDC, the regional office and other agencies to develop the community