President Dr Mohamed Irfaan Ali met with residents of Kuru Kuru on the Soesdyke/Linden Highway on Saturday, taking on a long list of concerns spanning water, electricity, education, housing and agriculture.
One of the more immediate commitments came after residents asked for youth recreation space. President Ali commited to fence off an existing play field and build it into a full cricket pitch with a pavillion and washrooms.
“We will get that done in the next couple of weeks,” he told them.
Farmers raised a separate issue, stating that they need shallow wells dedicated to irrigation, apart from the water supply supply used in homes, and the road into the farmland that holds up in bad weather so produce can move.
In response, President Ali said the request would be reviewed alongside ongoing road works in the area.
On land, President Ali has asked the Ministry of Housing, the Ministry of Labour, and the Ministry of Public Works to meet with the Co-op Society to work out how unused land nearby gets used.
“They will meet and come up with a solution,” the president said. “All of us will work together to make use of the empty land, to create more land for housing, and to move towards home ownership.”
A Guyana Water Inc. (GWI) representative said a well has alreaddy been drilled and a pump installed, with part of the distribution network complete; the agency is now assessing whether it can extend service to the rest of the community by the end of September.
Divisional Director for Transmission and Distribution at the Guyana Power and Light (GPL), Shaun Hamlet confirmed a new substation is under construction at Kuru Kuru and should be finished within the year.
Once that is tied into the Linden substation, feeder lines will extend to Moblissa, where a six megatatt plant is expected to come onstream in four to five months. This will improve voltage for communities along the highway.
More than $1 billion has gone into road works in the area since 2022, much of it done with community involvement, President Ali said, with another 15 to 20 roads planned. That work will be scheduled around a land-use meeting set for Tuesday, do it does not run into new housing construction.
On agriculture, President Ali encouraged farmers to adopt shade-house cultivation to increase yields on smaller plots, while continuing permanent crop production, including coconut and citrus on a larger acreage. He said government will work with farmers to organise production into clusters, including a large-scale swine project and a stingless-bee honey initiative, both to be financed through the development bank.
The Guyana Marketing Corporation and Guyana Manufacturers Association will support farmers with produce collection and market access.
Minister within the Office of the Prime Minister, Kwame McCoy, and Minister within the Ministry of Housing, Vanessa Benn also attended the meeting.