HUNDREDS of low-income households in La Parfaite Harmonie, Region Three, are expected to benefit from infrastructure upgrades following the award of $867.2 million in contracts by the Ministry of Housing and Water, through the Central Housing and Planning Authority (CH&PA).

The contracts were signed in the presence of Minister of Housing and Water, Collin Croal; Permanent Secretary, Andre Ally; Chief Executive Officer of CH&PA, Sherwyn Greaves and Director of Projects at CH&PA, Omar Narine, in the agency’s boardroom, on Friday.

Through the programme, 9.14 kilometers of roads will be upgraded, 49 reinforced concrete culverts will be constructed, 34 kilometers of earthen drains will be cleaned, two meters of reinforced concrete drains and 0.5 meters in concrete sidewalks will be constructed.

Minister Croal implored contractors to execute the work in a manner which satisfies the expected quality and standards
“These works being carried out are critical to the development of these communities, the government’s housing trajectory, as well as, the welfare of our citizens in Guyana,” the minister related.

He also encouraged the contractors to use the project as a means of stimulating growth at the community level.
“Wherever you can utilise the labour from within the communities, please do so. This will go a long way towards improving the lives of our citizens, who are often in this case, in the low-income bracket and vulnerable,” Minister Croal said.

He added that the roads in the area have been in a deplorable state for some time, so the upgrades will ease the burdens of residents.
Ally said that the ministry, in its bid for quality assurance, will have a team from the Projects Department on the ground actively monitoring the level of the works.

He also said that the ministry will be maintaining an open line with the contractors, where they could report any issues encountered along the project timeline.

The Director of Projects related that the infrastructure upgrades fall under the Adequate Housing and Urban Accessibility Programme (AHUAP), which is funded by the Inter-American Bank.

Six are under the La Parfaite Harmonie cluster and are slated to benefit, namely: Schoonord, La Parfaite Harmonie, Westminster, Onderneeming, Rect-Door-Zee and Lust-en-Rust. La Parfaite Harmonie is listed as site two under the programme and follows $1.5 billion in infrastructure upgrades at Sophia.

In August, the ministry also awarded $163 million in contracts for Home Improvement Subsidies and Core Home Support in La Parfaite Harmonie under the AHUAP. All of those interventions are expected to significantly uplift the targeted communities and provide more wholesome housing solutions for low-income residents.

(DPI)