Hundreds of residents in one particular community in the Arima constituency now have access to electricity, water, and a safer community.
This, from the People’s National Movement’s candidate for Arima and Minister of Planning and Development, Pennelope Beckles, as she cut the ribbon for a multi-million dollar infrastructure project handover in Arima on Friday.
Minister Beckles said the two-year project has transformed lives and now, more than two hundred families in the Demerara area in Arima have had their community further developed by the Land and Settlement Agency (LSA).
“This is one of the areas where you had the challenges of lead, where the community was totally cleared; maybe one or two remained, went to Jacob Hill. So as Minister of the Environment, I would have been responsible for the removal of lead together with the Environmental Management Authority, and this area originally had neither lights nor water.”
Minister of Housing and Urban Development Adrian Leonce said the initiative was more than just about building homes and drains and providing electricity.
“Minister would have indicated this project cost $33 million, and that is an investment that the government would have made to the community of Demerara, and it’s an investment because we in the government believe that all communities need a place that they can be satisfied with and be proud of.”
Residents from the community were on hand to witness the project being handed over.
“Well, the road have been widened a bit. We have about a 95% proper drainage. We are looking forward to see that whatever little nitty gritty problems that we have seen after the project have reached this far that they can really rectify it and that we get our community centre, having our activity centre, and our basketball court.”
Secretary of the Demerara Road Village Council, Maria Roberts, recalled what the village was like when she moved there in the 1990s.
“Dirt to walk through, track, flambeau, and lamp we use. We used to go out the road and full water, wash we clothes, bathe outside there. I know what I came in here and met and now it is much, much different and better.”
In addition to the improved drainage and box drains, Minister Beckles noted that a number of two-bedroom homes were built free of charge for residents in the area as part of the Housing and Village Improvement Programme.