Hundreds of low-income households in La Parfaite Harmonie, Region Three are expected to benefit from infrastructure upgrades following the inking of $867.2 million in contracts by the Ministry of Housing and Water, through the Central Housing and Planning Authority (CH&PA).

The contracts were signed in the presence of Minister of Housing and Water, Hon. Collin Croal, Permanent Secretary, Mr. Andre Ally, Chief Executive Officer of CH&PA, Mr. Sherwyn Greaves and Director of Projects at CH&PA, Mr. Omar Narine, in the agency’s Boardroom on Friday.

Though the program 9.14 kilometers of roads will be upgraded, 49 reinforced concrete culverts constructed, 34. kilometers of earthen drains cleaned, 2 meters of reinforced concrete drains and 0.5 meters in concrete sidewalks constructed.

In his charge to the contractors, the Minister urged that the works be executed to meet quality standards and in a time efficient manner.

“These works being carried out are critical to the development of these communities, the government’s housing trajectory, as well as, the welfare of our citizens in Guyana,” the Minister stated.

The Minister also encouraged the contractors to use the project as a means to foster economic activities in the communities as well.

“Wherever you can utilize the labor from within the communities, please do so. This will go a long way towards improving the lives of our citizens, who are often in this case, in the low-income bracket and vulnerable,” the Minister stated.

He further noted that the roads in the area have been in a deplorable state for some time and garnered many complaints from residents. As such, the upgrades will tremendously ease the burden of residents.

Permanent Secretary, Mr. Andre Ally, added that the Ministry in its bid for quality assurance, will have a team from the Projects Department on the ground actively monitoring the level of the works. He also said the Ministry will be maintaining an open line with the contractors, where they can report any issues encountered along the project timeline.

Meanwhile, the Director of Projects, explained that the infrastructure upgrades fall under the Adequate Housing and Urban Accessibility Programme (AHUAP), which is funded by the Inter-American Bank. Six plantations under the La Parfaite Harmonie cluster are slated to benefit, namely: Schoonord, La Parfaite Harmonie, Westminister, Onderneeming, Rect-Door-Zee and Lust-en-Rust. La Parfaite Harmonie is listed as site two, under the programme and follows $1.5 billion infrastructure upgrades in the Sophia, Georgetown.

In August, the Ministry also signed $163 million in contracts for Home Improvement Subsidies and Core Home Support in La Parfaite Harmonie under AHUAP. All of these interventions are expected to significantly uplift these communities and provide more wholesome housing solutions for low-income residents.

Below is a further breakdown of the scope of works for the Infrastructure Upgrades in La Parfaite Harmonie:

Photos: Sydel Thomas, CHPA PR Dept. & Ameer Sattaur, DPI