$3.9B for Upper Demerara-Upper Berbice

– Two new schools to be constructed

– River ambulance to be purchased

– Upper Demerara Regional Hospital to be rehabilitated

DPI, Guyana, Thursday, December 13, 2018

Two new schools are to be constructed at Bamia, Upper Demerara -Upper Berbice in 2019. This was disclosed during the consideration of the estimates for Region Ten where over $3.9Billion was approved in the Committee of Supply this evening.

Defending the 2019 Budgetary allocations was Minister within the Ministry of Communities Valerie Patterson-Yearwood. However, this was not before it was placed under the microscope by Members of the Opposition.

The Minister said the construction of the schools signals the government’s commitment to continuous improvement of education delivery. The region’s education sector received the bulk of budgetary allocation, a total of $2.5Billion.

Of that amount, provisions will be made for the construction of a Nursery and a Primary school at Bamia. Recreational areas will also be constructed at Children’s Garden, Kwakwani Waterfront and Wiruni Nursery Schools to make them more child-friendly. Water systems at LICHAS and Watooka Day Primary schools and incinerators at Kwakwani and Amelia’s Ward student hostels will also be constructed.

The health sector also received a large sum amounting to $730.6Million. Patients visiting the Upper Demerara Regional Hospital will do so in an upgraded facility as the building is slated to be rehabilitated at a cost of $14Million. Additionally, another river ambulance will be purchased at a cost of $20Million to ply the Demerara River. This is will be added to another river ambulance acquired last year that currently services the Berbice River area. Electrical works are also slated for the Rivers View and Ebini health posts.

The region will also see significant infrastructure development as it was allocated over $348Million for that sector. This will allow for the construction of a bridge at Kara Kara, upgrading of roads at Wisroc, Block 22, Kara Kara, Silver City and Christianburg and upgrading of drainage systems including structures at One Mile Extension Area and Silverbaili.

Additionally, the sum of $51.7Million was allocated to Region 10 for agricultural purposes. However, when question by the opposition as to why the monies are being allocated, the Minister highlighted that after years of making requests, this year is the first time the Region will be able to manage its own agricultural programme.

The Linden Martyrs monument is also slated to be erected in 2019 at a cost of $5Million. The monument will honour Ron Somerset, Shemroy Bouyea and Allan Lewis, who were all shot dead on July 18, 2012, during unrest in the mining town of Linden over a proposal by the then People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) government to hike electricity rates there.

Isaiah Braithwaite.

Image: Keno George.