Prime Minister Samuel Hinds on Friday commissioned a solar-powered electricity system that has been installed in 66 buildings at the Demerara River village of Muritaro.
The buildings have been equipped with electricity under the hinterland component of the Un-served Areas Electrifi-cation Programme and funded by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB).
According to a Government Information Agency (GINA) press release the systems have the capacity to produce approximately 125 watts of electricity. In return for this service residents are required to pay a $500 fee which will be managed by the village committee. Hinds urged the residents to sustain the project since it was a significant investment.
He also cautioned residents that his office “will be looking over the shoulder” of the village committee to see how it is manning the operations as the IDB would also be monitoring how the programme is being run.
Meanwhile, the community has revealed its plans to equip schools in the village with computers. On hearing this, Region Ten Chairman Mortimer Mingo pledged to donate a computer system to the school. He said with this intervention the Regional Democratic Council will fast-track its support for educational development in the region, particularly for information technology training so that hinterland communities can be on par with the rest of the country.
Additionally, three Yamaha engines for boat operations were also donated to the community and the newly established Muritaro Woodworking Association was given a generator.
GINA said village representative Clorene Brown noted other achievements of the village which included the addition of a second storey to their primary school building and the extension of the health centre in 2006 which is now functioning with a Community Health Care worker.
