–bridge linking Nonpariel to be built

SEVERAL streets in Enterprise on the East Coast of Demerara, including the main access roads, are set to undergo major infrastructural works soon, Minister within the Ministry of Public Works, Deodat Indar disclosed during a project assessment exercise on Tuesday.
Minister Indar stated that the works are necessary to ensure an improved quality of life for the more than 900 households in the community.
He explained that infrastructural works have not been undertaken in the area for over 15 years; that the roads, in particular, have been in a deplorable state for some time.

“The roads have been bad for some time; and when the rain falls, it destroys it even more, and makes it more worse. Just imagine you have schoolchildren have to traverse through those gorges of mud water in their footwear, and then have to go and spend all day in school. We have to fix it, starting with the main roads first and the sectional repairs, because most people are affected by them. And then we are going to the sections of the community that have less traffic,” Minister Indar said.
He stated that in addition to the road works, construction of a connecting bridge between Enterprise and Nonpareil is also being undertaken.
Residents had indicated to the minister that the children in the community are forced to make an unnecessarily long commute to get from their homes in Enterprise to the school in Nonpareil. The minister committed to the construction of a connecting bridge that would shorten that travel distance by more than half.

Additionally, residents indicated that one of two connecting bridges between Enterprise and Enterprise Gardens was in a deplorable and shaky state, which poses a threat to the residents who use it on a daily basis. He also made a commitment to the residents that the ministry would undertake this project, too.
“The roads have problems; obviously, the bridges that they are using to connect Enterprise Gardens to Enterprise, one of them is shaking, Minister Indar said. “On the other side, between Nonpareil and Enterprise, where the schoolchildren have to journey a long distance and do the same to come home, we are connecting a pathway there, too, so it’s easier and faster to get to school and back home,” he added.
He noted that during his walkabout in the community, he noticed that several residents had “fenced-off” the government reserves, making it hard to get the necessary equipment into the community to conduct infrastructural work.

“People are taking up the reserve, and when they take up the reserve, we cannot do public works; we can’t move machine in to build bridges, we can’t clean, we can’t do anything; everybody put up a fence or something, so we are appealing to residents that when we’re doing public works and they have to move in their fence, they just have to do that. If you put up a fight, you’d be obstructing the work and delaying the work,” he said.
Minister Indar stated that he has advised the Neighbourhood Democratic Council (NDC) representatives to have conversations with the residents to ensure that they free up those reserve lands that they may be occupying, so that the works can move ahead.
Moreover, he said that he is satisfied with the pace of ongoing works, and hopes that they will be completed in less than two months.

“Our engineers are very aggressive; they are going out, and they are explaining the modus operandi of the Irfaan Ali government. We are awarding new contracts, and the agreement is that within three to six months, you have to finish the work. Because if you don’t finish the work, definitely we are not adding you, if you are not finishing the existing contracts you have,” Minister Indar informed. Minister Indar explained that the works that will be undertaken are separate from the current works. The cost of the upcoming works is still being assessed. He said, too, that similar infrastructural works are ongoing at Success, another East Coast Demerara village, some five miles or so west of Nonpariel. The Ministry of Public Works has also committed to rehabilitating two community grounds at Success and Enterprise.

Meanwhile, Roger Evelyn, Chairman for the Buxton/Foulis NDC, lauded the government’s response to the invitation, and used the opportunity to thank Minister Indar for his commitment to undertake additional works in the community. He stated that the works would benefit the residents greatly, and will allow them access to a better quality of life. “Luckily, the minister is a man of the people. We were able to walk around with him and the residents, and let them show him what are some of the more concerning and urgent cases that need to be looked into,” Evelyn said. He further stated that his NDC is committed to monitoring the progress of the projects to ensure that they are completed in keeping with the suggestions expressed by Minister Indar. Evelyn explained that for some time, residents have been calling for better drainage and irrigation and infrastructural works, which could not have been completed with the NDC’s limited budget.