–authorities say $628M will be budgeted next year for further upgrades

MINISTER of Housing and Water, Collin Croal has told residents of Charity, Essequibo, that the ministry will be expending some $40 million to upgrade the existing infrastructure at Buxton and St. Joseph.

The minister made this announcement while on a President Dr. Irfaan Ali-led two-day Cabinet outreach in Region Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam).
Minister Croal, who was joined by Minister of Public Service, Sonia Parag, at Charity, said that the upgrades are timely, since some 350 house lots were recently allocated in the area.

Residents were told that the Ministry of Housing, through the Central Housing and Planning Authority (CH&PA), will commence work on access bridges and roads for the new housing developments.

Other infrastructure works in the new and existing housing areas will be catered for under the agency’s 2022 work programme. Another $628 million will be expended in 2022 on the upgrade of several roads and bridges at the Old and New Charity Housing Schemes.

In the area of water, Minister Croal spoke of the Guyana Water Incorporated (GWI)’s plan for the drilling of several new wells in communities within the Pomeroon area.

“We are aware of the issues with high iron content in your water, and our plan is to improve the coverage of treated water on the Essequibo Coast,” the minister related.

Minister Croal, during the meeting, was also accompanied by a team of government officials, including Head of the Community Development Department at the CH&PA, Gladwin Charles, and Shaquile Meyers, a surveyor.

Minister Parag was accompanied by Permanent Secretary in the Public Service Ministry, Soyinka Grogan, and other officials.
The teams, over the next few hours, will be addressing complaints and concerns raised by residents.

“We are committed, and continue to commit to you the people that we will put our ears on the ground. All that means is that we want to hear from you yourselves what the issues are, and then determine how we will address those issues; that’s how we are moving forward. So, Essequibo, this is not just us coming here and stopping at this point; ministers will continue to address your concerns throughout the next five years,” Minister Parag affirmed.