A Chinese-funded housing project for the island’s indigenous people is progressing as planned.
Housing Minister Hon. Reginald Austrie told GIS new recently that ten of the forty houses being constructed in the Kalinago territory have already been completed.
“We’ve started on the Chinese-funded project where the Chinese had offered us some 40houses. We have completed the first 10and I believe those have been allocated. We don’t wait until we complete all the houses before we allocate. Once the houses are complete we allocate the houses. I believe towards the end of February the second 10 should be ready for allocation” he noted.
The Minister attributes the timely completion of the houses to the efficiency of the contractors.
“I must congratulate the contractors for doing an excellent job. The Chinese project is progressing very quickly. We used a different source of management from what we used during the Venezuelan funded housing project. What we did differently on this project was that we reduced on the number of houses that we gave to each contractor. That project is much better managed. To assist us we brought in an engineer who is dedicated to that particular project” the Minister disclosed.
The 1.4 million dollar project is an extension of Government’s Housing Revolution programme in the Kalinago Territory. The Minister added that this is a tangible demonstration of Government’s commitment to residents of the Carib Territory.
“We believe that the Carib people should be singled out for special treatment and that is why the Government is doing all in its power to ensure that the Carib people are treated as a special people in Dominica; not only in terms of health but in terms of housing” he said.
The Minister told GIS news that once the houses have been completed Government will work with the Carib council to facilitate the allocation of the houses to residents.
“As usual, we are involving the Carib Council. We are involving the Parliamentary Representative. We are involving the Department of Carib Affairs. So any decision that is taken as far as development in the Carib Territory is concerned, particularly in housing, we have unanimous support and approval from the Carib people because we ensure that we are involving all the entities, all the stake holders in the Carib Territory,” he said.