Dear Editor,

OVER the last weekend, October 29 and 30, President, Dr. Irfaan Ali held an outreach in Region 10, in keeping with the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) Government’s policy and principles of engaging with the people throughout the country to listen to issues that might be affecting their communities, villages, towns and regions.
Those engagements are also used as a medium to update the residents on the government’s programmes and plans for national development.
While the PPP/C always has regular outreaches, ministers and senior officials are mandated by His Excellency to be in contact with the people at all times.
At the outreach to various communities in Region 10, many development and personal issues were raised by residents, which were documented by the Cabinet and the RDC to be addressed.

The President before going out on his visits, commissioned a brand-new state-of-the-art x-ray machine at the Mackenzie Hospital. He then went on his visits to several communities and made several commitments such as building a new primary school at Malali, which will replace the old school, which is usually flooded when there is heavy rainfall.
The President also committed to build a doctor’s quarters, among other things. Further, a new wharf will also be built at Linden to accommodate the goods and service for the Upper Demerara riverine communities.

His Excellency also, in keeping with objective of food security, stated that the government through the Ministry of Agriculture will place a vital role on a special project of having 10 acres of land cultivated, of which 35 per cent of the involvement of the agro- project must be women. Further, 77 solar panels were presented to that village.
At 47 & 58 Mile and Great Falls, residents will also receive solar panels, a bus will be given to the communities to take the children to school, free eye care programme and several black water tanks would be delivered to the communities, while GWI will be digging wells.
Those villages will also benefit from agricultural assistance. Several issues were also raised in the Berbice riverine areas, such as agricultural assistance, request for a secondary school to be built at Wiruni, which will be done, along with many other mega projects such as the G$150 million wharf project at Tacama, black eye peas cultivation at Kimba, and barley and millet production, and the expansion of the corn and soya bean project.

At Kwakwani the recreational facility will be upgraded, GWI will drill a well there, continued agricultural support will be given, and all-weather roads will be done in the village.
The village of Ituni will also receive a 30-seater bus to take the school children to school in Linden, a new primary school will be built, and black water tanks will be given to the residents; also assistance will be given to agriculture.

At the Coomacka Mines, Three Friends, Siberian and Nottinghamshire villages the upgrading will continue, agricultural assistance will continue, 45 outstanding land issues will be resolved, and work on the other areas land titling.

The 100 black water tanks will be delivered, and the Ministry of Agriculture will work with the residents in developing 20 acres of land for agriculture of which 35 per cent must be women on the project. Recreational facilities will be upgraded.
At Linden, several issues were raised as to land title, road development, poor waste disposal collection, leasing of agricultural lands, and requests for CDCs to be formed at the back section of Block 22, Prosville and Andy Ville.

New homes will be made for three Moblissa teachers. There are other small issues that will be addressed. It must be noted that over G$2 billion is being spent on the road network in Linden and other massive developments ongoing in Region 10 of which I will be highlighting in a subsequent report to people of Region 10 and the nation.
Yours sincerely,

Andrew Forsythe
Regional coordinator.