During a ministerial visit to a number of communities tucked away in Region Seven (Cuyuni-Mazaruni), residents came out in their numbers and expressed longstanding concerns, mainly with regard to the deplorable access to these remote villages.
Villagers were at their wits’ end over the dilapidated infrastructure and non-existing alternative routes for those travelling in and out of the rural communities, particularly during the rainy season.
Leading the visit was Public Infrastructure Minister David Patterson, who was accompanied by the Minister of Public Affairs, Dawn Hastings-Williams, who had first-hand experience of the difficulties faced by those residing in these areas, on a daily basis.
The Ministers and their respective teams also got an idea of the difficulties usually encountered as they were forced to weather the rains by travelling on ATVs from one village to the other, all the while inspecting the trail between the two target communities, Kamarang and Waramadong.
Following the field visit, the Ministers also convened a ‘town hall meeting,’ which opened the floor for residents hailing from Kamarang, Waramadong, Jawalla, and Kako to highlight issues affecting their community.
It was during this forum that a number of issues were raised, with the poor access to communities topping the list.
The residents called for an upgrade of riverine networks to transport heavy materials as well as the construction of two airstrips, one in Jawalla and the other in Waramadong, to bridge the existing gap in transportation.
Overcrowding of schools in the sub-region; insufficient energy supply to the communities; and a need to improve the water system were also among the complaints aired by those in attendance at the meeting.
In responding to these concerns, Minister Patterson indicated that while he could not definitively say what works his Ministry would be executing in the sub-region following the visit, he promised that works would be done when a full assessment was completed.
Continuing on that note, Patterson apologised to the residents for not visiting the communities sooner, having recognised that the urgency of infrastructural works needed for the sub-region had not been adequately emphasised by the relevant regional authorities.
Nevertheless, the meeting with the Ministers culminated on a high note after the villagers’ requests were immediately granted. As a result, Chief Aerodromes Inspector Alphonso Mangah was given the go-ahead to provide the necessary assistance from the Ministry through his agency.
Earlier this year, some of the very communities visited by the Ministers were faced with considerable destruction after massive flooding wiped out several homes and significantly hindered the livelihoods of many across Region Seven.
