PPID remains the ‘engine’ of government – Minister unveils big plans for community development

BY DELANA ISLES

The ministry of physical planning, infrastructure, and development (PPID) may be small, but it is - as emphasised by the minister - an integral part of the government and the territory.

Chatting with media operatives this week, Minister of PPID, Hon Jamell Robinson shared some of the upcoming works within his ministry and what it has accomplished since being in office over the past two years.

“My job is to fight for the resources so we could get more staff to deliver more for the public, but my job also is to help us strategically plan and make sure we streamline our processes so we could do more with what we have already.

“Essentially, this ministry, as small as we are, we are the engine that drives government, we don’t work, government don’t work, and if government don’t work, people like me don’t get re-elected,” Robinson shared during the brunch held at Crackpot Kitchen Restaurant in Providenciales.

As the newly appointed minister, Hon Robinson has promised to fight for the resources to get the necessary work done.

In attendance at that meeting, were heads of department within the PPID ministry, who also shared their departmental accomplishments and plans with the media.

Road Developments

Ian Constantine, Coordinator of Civil Engineer, and Capital Projects, sat in for Director of Public Works, Garvin Thomas. That department consists of three divisions: project management, maintenance, and the mechanical division.

Constantine shared that the public works department is currently involved in several infrastructural works around the territory, with major upcoming road development programmes for Providenciales and Grand Turk.

“A lot of people have been asking when will the roads happen…soon you will see the tenders being released. In these releases, you will see a number of roads for the entire

Providenciales and Grand Turk, but it is not limited to just these two locations.

“As we go, the same things will be done on the sister Islands… but at the moment the release (tenders) are going out for the two locations.”

Constantine shared that regarding the maintenance of roadways, such as signs and signage being replaced, all of this will be done in the road development plans that are set to be rolled out.

“Major studies have been done along the entire Leeward Highway to the ferry port. We intend to rebuild, reinstate and improve several sections; the works will not be done all at once… at various points, people will see that there are minor disturbances but at the moment we are focused on the most critical infrastructure.”

Expanding a bit on the road works for Providenciales and Grand Turk, Minister Robinson said this is estimated at just under $5m, with a new supplementary budget to be introduced for an additional $5m for roads in

South Caicos and Salt Cay with a component for electrification.

He said the annual quota from Fortis for lights, is 250 and they are looking to invest about $1m in solar lights which will ensure another 500.

“So hopefully, over the next year, we will be able to put in another 750 lights across this country, so we want to light up the place.”

This, he noted, is all part of the ministry’s community enhancement programme that will build sidewalks, speed bumps and anything else that communities around the Islands need.

He said since taking over the ministry he has reached out to all members of parliament, explaining:

“The idea is that they would have the pulse… for their constituency even greater than an all-island MP as well as a minister to make sure that we aren’t just delivering things, but are delivering things that people actually want and appreciate.”

He said each constituency will have its portion of the overall budget and will have a say in how works are delivered.

“I have already notified the Premier and my colleagues we want to ‘bust’ our budget relatively early so when they do a cycle of supplementary we will get more money.”

He has his eyes set on at least half a million dollars for community projects in each constituency over the next budget period.

“I think it is important for us to deliver these tangible things because, as you can see it took about two years to deliver a housing policy, almost a year and a half to deliver the physical national development plan, but the ministry has to deliver things in the interim.

“So while we chase our big goals and deliver those big things, the community enhancement programme can help us deliver smaller things in the meantime so the community can feel like we are working.”