New Govt. services for Region One residents in 2018
DPI, GUYANA, Tuesday, February 20, 2018
Several major upgrades are slated for Barima-Waini in Region One, this year, as catered for in its 2018 budgetary allocation. These include renovation of the Region’s Administration building which will see the availability of several new services to residents.
In an interview with the Department of Public Information (DPI), Regional Executive Officer (REO), Leslie Wilburg explained that, most importantly, the renovated building will accommodate the Guyana Revenue Authority’s (GRA) office which is very critical for the region.
Wilburg said “the all-inclusive tax office recently came on stream to help us increase our revenue base. When it is completed and fully operational, it will allow residents in Mabaruma and even those from close-by communities, access tax-related services.”
Other governmental services that will be offered at the newly renovated building will be child protection and social protection services and the energy services from the Guyana Energy Agency (GEA).
The 2018 National Budget provided $2.6B for the Region. This sum also caters for public works in the region Wilburg noted, including the installation of culverts along the Santa Rosa to Warimuri trail and the Matthews Ridge area, a wharf in the Moruca sub-district to enable farmers to offload their produce and a mile of Double Bituminous Surface Treatment (DBST) road along the Kumaka/Kwebana road.
In the education sector, $118M was approved for capital works including the extension of several schools in the region. These include extensions of the Santa Rosa Nursery, Sacred Heart (Mabaruma), Warapoka (Moruca), Port Kaituma and Assaskata Primary Schools. A new Nursery School will be constructed in Kamwatta village at a cost of $10.3M, Wilburg detailed.
During 2017, the region completed 97 percent of its work programme. Wilburg highlighted that the hindrances were mostly staff related. “We have limited people here so you depend on folks from outside to help. Right now, the PSC (Public Service Commission) is not in operation, but they still send persons on a month-to-month basis until the commission is back in operation.”
The REO is confident that this year the region will exceed last year’s performance.
By: Ranetta La Fleur
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