Rehab work on Parika/ Naamryck road underway

Rehabilitation to the Parika/Naamryck road has commenced, the Government Information Agency (GINA) reported on Saturday.  

Agriculture Minister Robert Persaud, accompanied by Senior Engineer, Agriculture Sector Development Unit, Frederick Flatts; General Manager, New Guyana Marketing Corporation (GMC), Nizam Hassan; and technical officers, witnessed the start of remedial works on the road.

This project is expected to be completed within four months, depending on the weather. “The road wasn’t part of our original project, but because of the constraints we saw facing farmers and residents, we decided to intervene by cutting some of the other projects. We couldn’t wait on the Public Works Ministry, which is in charge of roads, since this is a vital project,” Persaud stated, while giving brief remarks.       

According to the agriculture minister, farming activities have been increasing in the area over the years, and as such, government will continue to expend resources to improve farming activities and to bring about better farming conditions. An appeal was also made to farmers to monitor the projects, since they are the immediate beneficiaries.

Flatts explained that the area has several designs. Bore holes have been done in some sections between the façade drain and the Parika Back School, where there are some weak sections.  He pointed out that the base of the road is composed of crusher run, and beyond the surface there is earth, as a result of substandard work executed by contractors.        

“In the sections that are weak, we will be taking out all of it. Because if we are to go and put more crusher run on to it, in a very short time we would be right back to square one,” he said. Flatts stated that the remedial work is to ensure that the road is accessible at all times. However, he indicated that there are several heavy-duty trucks traversing weak sections of the road, and as such, he is calling on those truck drivers to desist from so doing until the sections are completed.

A contract has been officially issued for repairs to the road from the façade drain to the Parika Primary School; but to ensure that there is access through the area, the ministry will be extending its work to cover between the cross dam and the Ruby area. Despite the constraints of resources, government continues to deliver goods and services to the people, especially in farming communities, since it is part of the country’s overarching commitment of delivering an integrated service to citizens.