Latest update April 19th, 2024 12:59 AM
Aug 15, 2015 News
– Govt. promises no recurrence of PPP-like mishaps
By Abena Rockcliffe
All Guyanese who own a vehicle will be happy with the government’s provisions touching $13B for the building of “quality infrastructure,” including roads and bridges as this may mean ‘bye bye’ to the constant premature renewal of shocks.
During the recent delivery of his Budget speech, Minister of Finance, Winston Jordan told the National Assembly and, by extension the nation, of the plans the new administration has in store for infrastructural development. He told the House that quality infrastructure creates a multiplier effect through the creation of jobs, reduction in cost of production of goods and transportation and helps government to achieve its economic and social goals.
Jordan vowed that such cannot and will not be done in an unplanned and unorganized manner, “as happened in the past when poor conceptualization led to the redesign, abandonment and or derailment of many of the so-called transformational projects of the previous regime, including the airport expansion and extension project; the specialty hospital project, and the Amaila Falls Hydro Project”.
The Minister pointed out that these have led to slow and stifled growth within many sectors and subsectors of the economy while becoming a burden to the public treasury.
Addressing the Speaker, Jordan said that the new administration’s vision is to develop a structured and integrated approach to public infrastructure development and management that will be guided by a new national transport and drainage and irrigation policy, driven by a revitalized and re-engineered transport planning mechanism. This policy, Jordan said, will see government articulating new air, road, drainage and river master plans aimed at facilitating communication and creating linkages between hemispheric neighbours, on the one hand, and between the coast and the hinterland regions, on the other.
The Minister told his colleagues that within the context of the developmental agenda, Guyana is poised to become a major transshipment hub and gateway into South America and the Caribbean.
Jordan indicated that work in this regard has already commenced, through private sector funding of the deep water harbour and container port in the Berbice River. He said that the government will continue to collaborate with the private sector on such bold investment ventures as the dredging of the Demerara River Channel, for which a multi-stakeholder committee is being revitalized.
“Our Government intends to ensure the construction of new road links, particularly a road linking our two international airports that provides an alternative option to the East Bank Highway; and the linking of the city and coastland to the new townships of Bartica, Mahdia and Lethem. Our Government also proposes to develop a more creative and cost-effective investment model to construct a new fixed bridge across the Demerara River,” said Jordan.
The Minister then indicated that the sum of $13B has been allocated for enhancing the roads and bridges network throughout Guyana.
He said that in an effort to ease congestion and reduce travel time, the government proposes urgent expansion of the East Coast Demerara Highway.
Additionally, over $1.6 billion is budgeted for the upgrade of the Sheriff Street/Mandela Avenue Road, making it a modern thoroughfare for Georgetown. This upgrade, Jordan said, will create an improved road linkage between the East Coast and East Bank Demerara.
Further, a total of $1.2B has been budgeted for the completion of the East Bank Demerara Highway, which provides improved transit from Providence to Great Diamond.
Jordan said that the government also intends to create a bypass road linking Diamond, East Bank Demerara, to Ogle, on the East Coast Demerara. The new road will open up unutilized lands to support a modern housing scheme for 1,100 households, while creating new jobs for Guyanese, as well as establish a more efficient link between the country’s two international airports.
To link the Sheriff Street/Mandela Avenue urban development to peri-urban communities, the Government will be investing $387 million to upgrade the Sophia “Ring Road”, said Jordan.
The Minister also indicated that rural development will materialize through investments of $544 million to upgrade community roads and bridges in the ten administrative regions. Similarly, a provision of $1.2 billion has been made to upgrade more than 28 km of farm-to-market access roads and bridges located in Laluni, Onverwagt, Parika and Ruby Backdam.
The Minister told the House, “We will construct a road link between Parika and Goshen that will provide an alternative access route to Bartica; construct all-weather roads in Regions 7 and 9, to open new opportunities to exploit our natural resources; and upgrade internal roads in the proposed new towns of Bartica, Mahdia and Mabaruma.”
Please share this to every Guyanese including your house cats.
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