It has been more than one year since residents were promised that the remaining one kilometer of road network along the Upper East Bank Berbice, Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne) would be completed shortly. However, they are still waiting and have expressed concerns as the rainy season approaches again.
In October 2023, during a visit to the Upper East Bank Berbice, President Dr Irfaan Ali had expressed his disappointment with the pace at which the East Bank Berbice main access road is being done by the Ministry of Public.
Ali had released a further $100 million for work on the Upper East Bank Berbice main access road, which at that time had been in a deplorable state for a number of years.
During the last October visit, residents were promised that the remaining 1 kilometer or road network would have been completed within the shortest possible time.
However, after being told early in the year that the inclement weather was preventing the contractor from commencing work, residents told this publication that they were subsequently told by the contractor that there was a shortage of sand.
Former Chairman of Mara Citizens Development Committee (CDC) Randolph Prass pointed out that the promise was made in 2022 to have the one kilometer upgraded to an asphaltic surface.
The road improvement work was done from Jermina which is the end of the road, to Schepmoed. The one kilometer from Scaepmoed is still to be resurfaced.
“As the President gone, everything gone with the President. To this date the road remains the same.”
Prass noted that many pensioners have to traverse the road which is unfinished to get to the health centre.
“If they don’t have proper transportation the road affects then if they have the walk. School children have to go there; there is a nursery school there.”
According to Prass the current state of the road dose not have a big impact on farmers transporting their produce to the market but this could change overnight with the impending rains.
“As you see it now the weather is dry so the road looks somewhat reasonable but as soon as the rain falls, it is a different scenario; you get large pot holes appearing suddenly on the road and caused a lot of discomfort to farmers and residents in the community.”
According to Prass, because of the unfinished road many huskers are reluctant to go the Upper East Bank Berbice to make purchases from farmers.
“Huskers use to come in here to buy and that used to ease the burden on farmers to get their produce to the market but the road was pretty bad during that last period and the huskers ceased coming in. So now seeing that the road is partly dry because of the weather, the farmers are taking their produce to the market.”
The 78-year-old Prass who has been living in the community for the past 60 years, is of the view that farmers can produce more but they need encouragement.
“If we have the road, the farmers could develop more because they could open up lands. There are thousands of acres of fertile land at the back there. The government did something good for us by digging the canals, building a new nursery school and upgrading the health centre, but where is the road to take us there?” he asked.
Meanwhile, a team from the Mara CDC met with regional officials on Friday and vent their frustration. The team also claimed that they were making arrangements to visit the president or vice president’s office to raise their concerns noting the rains are forecasted for later this month.
Prass who was not a part of the team told this publication that the group was told that now four contractors will be executing the project.
On Wednesday two excavators and a bulldozer arrived in the community.
