The Central Housing and Planning Authority (CH& PA) is spending a grand total of Gy$ 5.8 billion on the East Bank Demerara for this year, with Gy$ 3.8 billion on ongoing projects and another Gy$ 1.5 billion on projects that are at the tender stage.
Housing and Water Minister Irfaan Ali, at the penultimate One Stop Shop last Friday, told the media that the ongoing projects are: Providence Phase Three, that encompasses an investment of Gy$ 731 million for 558 new lots; Farm where Gy$ 1.4 billion will be spent for 1695 lots; Plantation Perseverance, Gy$ 90 million for 200 lots; and Plantation Eccles, Gy$ 40 million for 70 lots.
It also includes the Farm to Diamond Access Road (Gy$ 680 million), the construction of 120 single flat homes at Providence (Gy$ 450 million), upgrading of roads at Great Diamond and Golden Grove (Gy$ 154 million) that will benefit 1000 lots in these schemes) and grading to asphaltic surface the Cacique Entrance and Greenfield Park Entrance (Gy$ 544 million).
Minister Ali explained that these are the second and third entrances to the main alternative access road that would link the East Coast and East Bank.
The projects that are at tender stage include the upgrading of roads at Great Diamond and Golden Grove (an estimated Gy$ 255 million investment that will benefit another 1000 lots in the area); upgrading of roads at Eccles, (Gy$ 244 million for 600 lots); and infrastructural development at Little Diamond and Great Diamond, an investment of Gy$ 950 million that will open up 300 acres of land for industrial and commercial purposes, Minister Ali said.
Investment
The minister as well noted that from 2000 to 2012, investments on the East Bank Demerara totalled Gy$ 17 billion and this sum has created 13,000 new lots in areas including Great Diamond, Golden Grove, Little Diamond, Mocha, Eccles, Herstelling and Kaneville.
More than 54,000 people have benefited, Minister Ali said.
Other programmes supervised by the housing sector from which the East Bank has benefited include the upgrade to existing community roads under the Community Road Improvement Programme, an investment of Gy$ 70 million and upgrade to roads in existing communities under the Miscellaneous Road Programme to the value of Gy$ 147 million.
“These are some of the investments and works that we have done in terms of bringing development and enhancing the prospects of the East Bank, which is definitely going to be one of the dynamic urban centres of our country,” the minister noted.
During his interaction with the media, the minister also praised the staff of the sector, disclosing that their efforts allowed the housing sector to surpass prior achievements with regards to the planning and execution of its yearly budgeted programmes.
According to Minister Ali, as of November 14, the sector completed its entire capital programme, covered under Budget 2013. He noted too that the financial statement and records for the sector up to 2012 have been laid in the National Assembly.
