With the ultimate goal of bringing relief to citizens, the Ministry of Housing and Water is slated to spend some $28B in the next 12 months to expand access to water and road networks, improve housing conditions and promote employment while also engaging in community-based participation projects.
This is according to Minister of Housing and Water Colin Croal who was speaking during the opening of the Diamond to Mocha interlink road along the East Bank of Demerara on Monday.
He said, in a multi-agency approach, the ministry along with its agencies such as the Central Housing and Planning Authority (CH&PA) was aggressively addressing the lack of access roads and its effects on housing development.
“These interventions are designed to make the lives of citizens more comfortable and we are on track to achieve that target,” he said.
According to Croal, in addition to the thousands of housing allocations done in the last year along the East Bank of Demerara, some 100 low-income houses are currently under construction at Prospect and construction will commence in the first quarter of 2022 on another 522 at Little and Great Diamond.
Also, mobilisation has started for140 houses for young professionals at Prospect while 100 of 200 houses have been completed at Providence.
As it relates to infrastructural works, Croal disclosed that some $7 billion is currently being spent on first phase infrastructural works to allow for the opening up of new communities.
“We are upgrading roads, bridges, unsurfaced roads, pipe networks, drains and culverts.
“Many persons will be shown their lot and move in to start building early next year,” he added.
The minister said tender has gone out for infrastructural works for Plantation Golden Grove which will be covered in the 2022 budget.
The $28B investment along the East Bank of Demerara also includes the four-lane concrete highway from Eccles to Great Diamond.
He was supported by Minister within the Ministry of Housing and Water, Susan Rodrigues who also assured of continued projects along the East Bank of Demerara geared towards easing traffic congestion, opening new lands for house lots, modernise the landscape of the country and connecting communities while bringing general relief to the people of the country.
