Despite not winning the Georgetown municipality at the recently held Local Government Elections (LGE), the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) government is still seeking to transform and improve the livelihoods of city residents. This was recently demonstrated by via the government’s $50 million Home Improvement Programme for Laing Avenue and Yarrow Dam dwellers.
According to the Vice President, Dr. Bharrat JJagdeo who made the announcement, approximately 252 households will benefit from the programme. While speaking to residents of the area on July 3 he said, “We’ll have an ongoing engagement, this is not a one-off thing. It means we’d have to work continuously until we have development in these areas, so we’ll talk a bit on how we pursue and the mechanism through which we will do it”.
He said too that a committee will have to be formed in Yarrow Dam, to develop a mechanism whereby all persons benefit from the Home Improvement Programme. Residents will also benefit from a paved road, that will be undertaken by the Ministry of Public Works, for which the contract has already been awarded.
Other needed improvements raised by residents included drainage and irrigation and land ownership. In response Jagdeo said, “I’ll bring the Minster of Housing (Colin Croal) and his technical people and I can send them out back, they’ll look at the areas if it’s not contentious. I don’t see a reason why we can’t do it”.
Jagdeo also took the opportunity to inform the residents that his government is also looking to cater to the youths in the community by improving their skill sets in the areas of carpentry and welding.