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ITABALLI TO PURUNI ROAD REMAINS IN A DEPLORABLE STATE
Last February the Public Infrastructure Ministry announced that a contract was signed for the rehabilitation of the Puruni Road, Region Seven (Cuyuni-Mazaruni). This was after weeks of public outcry from miners and other stakeholders regarding the deplorable state of the road surface.
The current state of the Itaballi Landing to the Puruni Landing Road
The Contract indeed facilitated the rehabilitation and construction of the Itabali to Puruni Road surface to a point that proper accessibility was enjoyed temporarily. This ended in April when the weather pattern changed.
The works that were done then could not withstand the intense effects of the wet weather conditions. Once again the Road was in a deplorable state.
The responsibility for this Road falls specifically under the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC). The trail is mainly used by all to access the Gold Mining Districts of Puruni Number 3, Cuyuni Number 4, and the Middle Mazaruni area from the Papishou Landing.
The Puruni Road runs from the Community of Itaballi, Mazaruni River, through to the Papishou Landing in the Middle Mazaruni. It is the only entrance and exit to various key Sections of Region Seven.
The community of Itaballi is located a short distance up the Mazaruni River from the Municipality of Bartica, Region Seven. It is also connected to Bartica by road and a Pontoon Crossing over the Mazaruni River.
Although an $89 Million contract was awarded to JR Construction Services and Mekdeci Mining Company (MMC), to facilitate upgrade works back in 2017, miners and other Commuters are still praying for this Road to be fixed properly.
The current state of the road has now left miners and other road users fearful for their stocks and moreover their lives, as it becomes more and more difficult to use this Trail with the continuing rainy weather.
Persons are now being forced again to suspend their Operations at various intervals owing to the nearly impassable state of this Road.
Frustrated miners who are obligated to use the trail with their vehicles have been experiencing the full discomfort, in having their faith tested and their financial resources put way beyond their extreme limits, as they venture daily into this now almost impassable road.
In February, a woman died while she was stranded on this said deplorable road for two days. The woman, Patricia Joseph, known as ‘Patsy’ of West Indies Housing Scheme, Bartica, was then heading into the Puruni Landing, where she worked as a Cook, when the truck that she was travelling in, got stuck inside a ditch.
A post mortem conducted after the incident revealed that she had died from ruptured arteries, which the Pathologist said could have been brought on by stress and fatigue.( Edward A Persaud)
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