By Jainarine Deonauth
Minister of Housing and Water, Irfaan Ali told residents gathered at the Region 3 PPP Member of Parliament Office, West Coast of Demerara, last Saturday, that government is committed to working with all vulnerable groups in the society so that everyone will be able to benefit from the development plans and programmes of the administration. The Minister was at the time speaking at the handing over of a wheelchair to a single parent mother who had made a request for help on behalf of her disabled son.
Ali explained that the purpose of the Region 3 PPP MP office is to provide the necessary support to all the residents of the region, especially to the poor and vulnerable and those who seek to have certain services provided by the government. In this regard the minister told the residents that, “people are at the centre of the government’s development agenda, hence it is important to take the services to them.”
He added that the PPP/C government will continue to work aggressively on behalf of all citizens to ensure they enjoy a better standard of life.
Several persons from all over region 3 and even farther afield converge every Saturday at the Region 3 constituency office to have various concerns addressed. Issues relating to potable water supply, house lot allocations, or just a request for some assistance to bring relief to the poor and needy are dealt with on the spot.
Collaboration
The PPP MP Office has been collaborating with other government and non-governmental agencies to assist persons in need. Just last Saturday a wheel chair was donated to Ms Doreen Orilall for her disabled 12-year-old son.
In an interview with this newspaper, Ms Orilall explained that her son has not been able to attend school since he was born as he cannot sit in the regular benches because of his disability. She said that a teacher had advised her to seek assistance in getting a wheelchair so that her son could attend classes. She indicated that in a matter of days the Region 3 MP office in collaboration with the Georgetown Public Hospital responded positively to her request.
In expressing her gratitude for the wheelchair, Orilall said that she is very grateful for such support “since this means that her son can now go to school like all the other students”.
In a brief comment, RDC Counsellor, Nazeer Khan said that regardless of whatever concerns persons are faced with, the PPP/C office has committed to looking after the welfare of everyone, irrespective of political or other affiliations.
Dozens of persons also turn up at the office each week to follow up on house lot applications or to deal with similar issues. This newspaper spoke with a number of persons who were extremely happy to have their applications for house lots fast-tracked.
