$7.7B supplementary cleared for infrastructural works, four-lane highway
The National Assembly, on Thursday, approved the sum of $7.7 billion for the Ministry of Housing and Water to execute infrastructural works in new and existing housing schemes, and the construction of the Eccles to Diamond four-lane highway.
The supplementary funding was sought during the 33rd sitting of the 12th parliament at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre (ACCC).
Of the $7.7 billion, the sum of $2.7 billion will go towards infrastructural works in new areas; $2 billion for works in existing schemes; $1.9 billion for the Eccles to Diamond four-lane highway; and $521 million for survey works.
Defending the sum was subject minister, Collin Croal, M.P, who explained that infrastructural works will include land preparation, roads, bridges, drainage and water network in communities in Regions Three, Four, Five and Six.
The areas include; Plantation Stewartville, Mon Repos, Annandale, Vigilance, Bladen Hall, Strathspey, LBI, Plantation Cummings Lodge, Plantation Great Diamond, Plantation Little Diamond, Plantation Prospect Phase Three, Plantation Providence, Plantation Experiment, Williamsburg, Hampshire, Number 79 Village, Number 75 Village, Anna Catherina, Edingburg, Cornelia Ida and Meten-Meer-Zorg.
“We have ongoing works for contracts that are existing and so, additional sums are required to ensure that we complete these works to make available accommodation for more land space so that we can have occupancy for over 10,000 lots,” Minister Croal clarified.
For the Eccles to Diamond four -lane road, Minister Croal further explained that the total amount that will be awarded will be $13.3 billion, and thus, a 15 per cent mobilisation advance was being sought. The surveys will be conducted in a number of housing schemes, and the four-lane road alignment is to be done as well.
Opposition Member of Parliament, Annette Ferguson questioned the housing ministry’s effectiveness in executing those additional works given that the year has almost come to an end.
In response, Minister Croal noted that, “the work of the Ministry of Housing and Water to improve the lives of our citizens do not stop at midnight. We have a competent project team that is capable of executing these projects and do then in a timely manner and that’s why we are able to do so much more in a fast-track mechanism because we have a commitment to the people of Guyana to deliver a minimum of 50,000 house lots in this our first term in office.”
In fact, Minister Croal highlighted that for infrastructural works in new areas alone, the PPP/C Government has so far expended some $7.3billion.
M.P Ferguson also asked about the time period for when persons will be receiving their agreement of sales for the lands they already paid for, and their land titles. Minister Croal reminded the M.P that land titles can only be processed when allottees are able to identify their lands.
That process, he further noted is an ongoing one as the ministry completes infrastructural works in housing schemes. For instance, identification of lands has begun in Number 79, Number 75, Mon Repos, Little Diamond and great Diamond.
Further, Minister Croal said the processing of the agreement of sale has to be done with precision. He revealed that under the previous administration, Ferguson, who served as housing minister during the period 2019/2020, did not cater for cadastral surveys for a number of the areas referred to.
In just one year in office, the Government has allocated some 10,000 house lots as compared to 7, 534 allocated by the Coalition in five years.