INFRASTRUCTURAL errors in the West Coast Demerara communities of Blankenburg, Cornelia Ida and Uitvlugt will soon be corrected following an inspection by Public Works Minister Juan Edghill on Saturday.
In these communities, several roads and drains were constructed; however, residents highlighted faults in some of the works done.
According to Minister Edghill, persons from these communities reached out to his office seeking the government’ intervention.
“My presence in these communities here this afternoon came as a direct result of letters that were written to me by residents requesting interventions of different kind or another.”
During his visit to Blankenburg, the Public Works Minister explained that a road was constructed without any provision for drainage and irrigation in the area. This has since resulted in flooding.

“At Blankenburg, there are serious issues there with flooding that would have caused damage to livelihoods that has [sic] to be addressed. On the spot, I would have made contact with the regional officials for them to intervene, because it is clear that the private developer has built a road and did not make any providence [sic] for water to cross from one side to the other side.
“There are no culverts, there are no drainage systems; that has to be corrected immediately,” Minister Edghill highlighted.
Meanwhile, in the community of Cornelia Ida, concerns were raised about a road that was being built. Following an inspection by Minister Edghill,

several faults were observed and while the minister did not disclose what these faults were, he assured that they would be corrected.
“I was able to come and see the road and see what was being done. I communicated with my chief engineer and there are some issues that we have to address there to bring solutions to that problem.”

In Uitvlugt, the minister said concerns about drainage and irrigation among other issues were raised.
“Here at Uitvlugt, it’s the NDC that is looking to bring community development; they have got issues with drainage, a couple of concerns about a bridge that we looked at that needs to be fixed and they have been doing their own fundraising and looking for support to help with their street-lighting programme.”
Residents also highlighted the need for a playground in the community. Meanwhile, the Public Works Minister urged residents to be on the alert when works are being conducted in their communities, noting that his office is accessible and persons should not hesitate to report any issues.
“I’d like to say to all the citizens of Guyana, my office remains accessible and open so you can make contact. I can’t give the sun, moon and stars, but whatever is in keeping with what our economy could facilitate at this time, in keeping with government’s priorities, little by little we will bring development to all the communities in a non-discriminatory manner.”