MINISTER of Public Works Bishop Juan Edghill has assured residents of Dochfour that any damage to their properties due to the ongoing road construction either on the Railway Embankment (Sheriff Street to Orange Nassau) or on the East Bank Public Road to Mahaica, will be compensated once proper verifications are made, and are checked against the contractor’s initial pre-conditional survey.

In a statement on Monday afternoon, the ministry said that the pre-conditional survey is a requirement of these projects.

Earlier in the day Minister Edghill met the affected residents after being made aware of the situation.

He requested a full report to have this matter addressed as soon as possible. The exact area of contention is just across the Hope Bridge (heading in an eastern direction) where there are depressions in the road.

“We followed the procedure, so now that there are concerns about damages [sic], all we need to do is compare the pictures of what was there before the work started, along with what is there now,” the minister was quoted as saying.

Approximately nine homes within the 30-metre range of the project have been affected, with an additional four persons outside of that parameter also making claims, to which the Public Works Minister has given the go-ahead for every affected household present at the meeting to be properly checked out, the statement added.

Minister Edghill told residents it is not the government’s desire to have citizens inconvenienced or their lives disrupted for prolonged periods, during the execution of these major projects.

Further, he said while there will be some periods of discomfort, the government has ramped up monitoring of projects to ensure effectiveness and value for money.

“The government’s interest is in protecting citizens’ welfare,” the minister stated.