The Culture Digest
Mocha to Great Diamond Road officially opened… Books for all Public Primary School Students… Contractor Charged for Defrauding Government… Tout Accused of Murdering Conductor Remanded
Good morning Guyana!
Welcome to the Tuesday, December 21, 2021, edition of The Culture Digest.
Here’s what happened since our last edition. Mocha to Great Diamond Road officially opened… Books for all Public Primary School Students… Contractor Charged for Defrauding Government… Tout Accused of Murdering Conductor Remanded.
TOP STORY
Mocha to Great Diamond Road officially opened
On Monday morning, the Mocha to Great Diamond road was officially opened for traffic. This road is restricted only to passenger vehicles, trucks, and SUVs. Heavy-duty trucks will still be limited to the East Bank Public Road. Officials said the cost of the road is GY$5 billion. Housing Minister Colin Croal noted the new route opens up 300 to 400 acres of land for commercial and industrial development and additional house lots. Meanwhile, work on the Eccles to Diamond road would begin next year. The President said the Mandela to Diamond road link would cost GY$16 billion, in addition to the proposed Ogle to Eccles connection.
Politics
Gary Best wins spot on PNCR Central Executive Committee
In one year, Gary Best has both beaten a vehicular manslaughter charge as well as came in the lead for a spot on the PNCR’s Central Executive Committee, making him arguably the most popular politician to have drunkenly killed a man in Guyana. (I feel bad for the other people he went up against. You know it isn’t good when you’re LESS popular than the man responsible for turning a national cycling champion into a traffic statistic.)
Sugar Workers to get 7% Salary Increase
Things have just gotten 7% sweeter for the sugar workers. In addition to the $250,000 one-off payment, they received from the government. The sugar workers are also entitled to the public servants’ 7% salary increase. Jagdeo said the salary increase to the sugar workers is “reparative justice” to correct a wrong that was done by the previous administration, as they received no salary increases during that period.
Business/National Development
Labor Ministry tells Troy Resources to pay up
The Ministry of Labor has gotten the management of Troy Resoucres Guyana Inc to promise to pay dismissed workers the legally required severance pay they were supposed to receive after being sent home. All terminated workers should receive their severance/redundancy allowances and all other benefits owed to them by the first quarter of 2022.
Fun Fact: Today is the third anniversary of the “YES” that toppled the Coalition Government.
Sad Stat: Education Minister Priya Manickchand said that for the last 15 years, the country had recorded a disappointing 70% average of trained teachers.
In Other News…
Books for All!
For the first time in history, the Ministry of Education will be giving all pupils in Grades One to Six in the public school system all the textbooks needed for their studies. They are currently standardizing the list of texts used at the secondary school level so that the MoE can implement a similar initiative. Twenty-two containers with textbooks are en route to Guyana and should be distributed to students soon after arrival.
Crime
27-year-old minibus tout Paul Junior Lynch was remanded to prison for fatally stabbing 30-year-old Morven Nurse in front of the Stabroek Market on December 15, 2021. He was not required to enter a plea to the charge and was remanded to prison until February 21, 2022.
74-year-old Savitri Umrao was traumatized after she and a guest were the victims of a violent home invasion at Blairmont, West Coast Berbice. The two bandits stole the woman’s jewelry, including her earrings which they ripped from her ears.
On Monday, 18-year-old laborer Tularam Harrylall was crushed to death by a reversing lorry in the compound of Hack Rice Mill, Golden Grove, West Coast Berbice.
On Monday, 44-year-old engineer Myrvin George and 25-year-old driver Daniel Baker were charged for defrauding the government for over G$1.1M. They were accused of inflating the number of truckloads of laterite they delivered to rehabilitate a stretch of road at Six Miles, Bartica. According to the courts, they claimed to have produced 233 truckloads. But a physical observation revealed only 87 truckloads were delivered at the cost of $18,000 per truckload. They were released on $150,000 bail.
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