Major 70-mile road to link North and Central Rupununi
[youtube url=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QA7GCjcIs7E” width=”100%” height=”315″]
─ will allow farmers and residents to have easier access to markets in Georgetown and Lethem
─ will benefit some 3,000 residents
DPI, Guyana, Tuesday, October 30, 2018
The government is to construct a 70-mile road linking the North and Central Rupununi. This will allow farmers and residents to have easier access to markets in Georgetown and Lethem.
The proposed all-weather road will benefit some 3,000 residents and will start from Ranch Entrance at Toka Village in the North Rupununi and stretch all the way to Kwaimatta on to Karanambu, Yupukari, Quatata, then through Parishara, Nappi, Hiawa and into Lethem.
Minister of Indigenous Peoples’ Affairs, Sydney Allicock and a team inspected the trail over the weekend. The minister said that it is imperative that the government provide the necessary road and bridge infrastructure for the residents to ply their trade.
“It is important that while we ask people to get into farming, get into tourism and the other activities, fishing and other development of timber or even mining and agriculture. It is important for us to also work on the development of the infrastructure development of better roads.”
He explained that a brand-new road will have to be constructed from the Toka to Yupukuri entrance given that that area is swampy. Minor works will also have to be done to the other areas.
“This was a road that the people use to use years ago, that used to be the route to enter into those areas. But from the main road to catch across to the Yupukuri entrance it’s a swampy area… You have to build the road there and from Yupukuri you have really good laterite surface there. so, the thinking is the call for the people within the area to have easier access to markets in Georgetown and in Lethem.”
The project, which is a priority for 2019, joins the list of other hinterland projects including the Agriculture Research Centre that is to be constructed in the Prara area in Nappi and the Hinterland Green Enterprise Development Centre at Bina Hill, Annai. This project will also complement the Linden to Lethem road construction.
Synieka Thorne.
Image by Tejpaul Bridgemohan.