Aranaputa NDC gets approximately $160M for infrastructural developments

The Aranaputa Neighbourhood Democratic Council (NDC), Region Nine, has been allocated approximately $160 million to support extensive infrastructural developments in the community this year.

During a meeting on Saturday, Minister of Public Works, Bishop Juan Edghill outlined the next steps for the area’s improvement.

He urged the community officials and residents to collaborate with the ministry’s engineer to determine what works will be executed with the $160 million.

“I want within one month of today’s date, the contractor for 2024 must be engaged and that must be sometime around October so we can get the work done and complete it before the rains come back in January,” the minister pointed out.

He highlighted the importance of integrating economic activity into the development plans, emphasising that focus must be placed on the improvements of thoroughfares leading to farmlands.

More importantly, Minister Edghill addressed the concern of the incomplete road project which received a budgetary allocation of $115 million in 2023.

Residents were reassured that immediate action would be taken to ensure the incomplete project is expedited to the satisfaction of the community.

“The first thing that we are going to get done is enforcing compliance of the contract that was already issued, which means all the culverts and the ring walls and the completion of that contract,” the minister stated.

The contractor will receive a written letter indicating that he has two weeks to be on-site, fully mobilised to complete the work.

To ensure and oversee the execution of this project, a clerk of works will be employed from the community.

Additionally, Minister Edghill reaffirmed the government’s broader commitment to infrastructural development, stating that efforts are being made to enhance the entire road network from Linden to Lethem.

“We are not just aiming to lay a piece of asphalt; we are focused on paving the entire route to support ecotourism and village plans,” he explained.

He noted that a section of that project has already been awarded to a Brazilian contractor, with further plans to extend paving from Mabura Hill to Kurupakari, Annai, and ultimately to Lethem.

Efforts are also underway to upgrade the road from Karasabai to Monkey Mountain, linking Region Nine and Region Eight.

The comprehensive approach reflects a commitment to both immediate improvements and long-term infrastructural planning, ensuring that Aranaputa and surrounding areas benefit from sustainable and impactful development. Meanwhile, the minister inspected ongoing works on the Pirara, the final bridge of the 32 concrete bridges along the Kurupukari to Lethem corridor to ensure it is on track for completion by Christmas.