LOCAL Government and Regional Development Minister, Nigel Dharamlall on Friday presented a $10.5 million mini excavator to the Grove/Diamond Neighbourhood Democratic Council (NDC) for the general maintenance of the area.
During the handing over ceremony held at the Diamond Community Centre Ground, the minister said the machine will be used to carry out the much-needed enhancement works. The donation is also in keeping with the government’s commitment to improving the quality of life of all Guyanese.
“The excavator, we expect, will serve to upgrade the infrastructure of the Grove/Diamond NDC area. This is one of the emerging areas in our country where thousands of people reside, and so we expect that the services the NDC provides that those services are going to be much better quality than yesterday.”
The mini excavator will be used to clear drains, conduct backfilling, and general maintenance. Minister Dharamlall urged the NDC to maintain the equipment.

“This has always been an issue in our country, where a lot of the equipment that government provided to communities have not been sustainably managed. So, I hope that the NDC is going to take good care of it to be used for many years towards the development of the Diamond area,” he said. Chairperson of the Grove/Diamond NDC, Indrani Ramnarine thanked the minister for the donation, which, she said, will enable the council to continue developing communities under its purview. “The NDC has been embarking on several enhancement projects in the district, and to bring relief to our residents in times of flood and even to remove encumbrances. And so this mini excavator is now an asset to us in the NDC. I know that it will also be appreciated among our residents, because now we have the resources at our disposal in times of need,” she said. The NDC has been focusing on the maintenance of infrastructure such as roads, internal drains and solid waste management, among others. (DPI)