Gov’t project clashes with private farm lands in E’bo

Apr 07, 2018 News

“a cleared section where sucker plants used to stand.”

Several farmers on the Essequibo Coast are severely aggrieved after hundreds of thousands of dollars in sucker plants were recently destroyed. These residents who farm on the East side of Riverstown on the Essequibo Coast, are claiming that their crops were destroyed to facilitate a government project.
Though the nature of the project remains unclear at this time, farmers are claiming that in order to execute the work, over 100 plantain suckers were destroyed.
Residents are also claiming that the project is done on their private lands, where they do farming as a source of livelihood. Kaieteur News understands that some the slashed sucker plants are already at bearing stage.
One farmer said, “This thing really frustrating to me because this is me livelihood. Nobody’s gonna compensate me… One bunch of planting is $3000… 3000 x 200 suckers is $600,000 for me.”
According to residents, no engineer or technical staff was seen monitoring the project and this is the major reason why the project is of a very poor quality.
The Regional Democratic Council [RDC], on the other hand, is dissatisfied with Ministry of Public Infrastructure Project. The Regional Chairman and his RDC Councillors, recently conducted an outreach in the area, where it was observed that several bearing plantain suckers were thrown on the ground. Chairman of the RDC, Devenand Ramdatt, said, “The RDC is again registering its dissatisfaction that residents were not consulted prior to the design and implementation of the project.
The RDC, NDCs and residents were not provided with project details and Bills of Quantities.”
Ramdatt note that the RDC will be pursuing this matter with the Ministry of Public Infrastructure; based on initial reports these residents were grossly disrespected. [Romario Blair.]

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