$12B to improve Region Two, $200M for Charity – President Ali announces

The government has allocated in excess of $12 billion towards the regularisation and development of a number of communities across Region Two.

Of that amount, some $200 million will be allocated towards the regularisation of the Charity squatting area.

Speaking at the land allocation exercise in Charity, on the Essequibo Coast, President, Dr Mohamed Irfaan Ali noted that these developments cover not only infrastructure, but job creation and financial assistance as well.

This includes the construction of a 40-foot-long concrete bridge linking Charity to an adjoining community, valued at some $35 million.

Some $120 million will be spent on 2.5 kilometres of concrete roads between these two communities.

An additional $20 million will be expended to bring water to the community, and another $20 million will be utilised to expand the electricity supply to the community’s ‘Red Rice’ area.

“This is how government delivers to you. We pave the way for progress to be made in the community. And I know the relief that this will bring for the farmers, the teachers, the children for the entire community,” the President said.

He noted the interest rates at banks of 3.9 per cent, which will allow persons within the Charity area to qualify for home improvement.

“We want you to improve your homes. We want to work with all of you,” the president expressed.

He highlighted the government’s mandate to bring jobs to the community and its surrounding areas, to enhance disposable income for families.

To this end, two call centres will be constructed; one in Charity, and one in Suddie. This, President Ali said, will bring 300 jobs to the communities.

“We expect that you will become trained, you will enroll in the programme, so that you can help to improve the disposable income of your families, with those call centres.”

Further, $4 billion is also earmarked for the construction of a brand-new water treatment plant.

“Outside of all of that we have identified 251 roads that have to be done in Region Two. We did an analysis of the entire region, every single community. Regardless of how you look, feel or voted, all the roads in this region, in every single community, has been placed on a list, and we have 251 roads to be done,” the President emphasised.

Through supplementary provision, the government has earmarked resources to commence the construction of 123 of these roads by the end of the year.

“The narrative that some people push at the national level is as far away from the reality and you know this. We have to reject that. I’ve already said that we are not going to be divided by race or anything in this country. You must bury it and those who continue to push it and use it as a mobilisation tool.”

The 251 roads total some 55 kilometres in length.

Excluding the call centres, the total monetary injection for Region Two stands at approximately $12 billion.

Other projects slated for the region include the construction of a $700 million pump station to help alleviate flooding during the rainy season.

Dredges and pumps will also be placed at the mouth of the Pomeroon River towards this cause.

A brand-new hospital of international standard will also be constructed opposite the Lima pump station.

The President committed as well to assisting farmers with 10 acres of land and the raising of their planting beds to avoid them being water-logged.

“This is what is going on in every single region. Investing in the lives of people, investing in communities, investing in infrastructure, investing in improving the lives of people. That is what we are about,” the President stated.