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‘Public Works cracks down’ …new hotlines launched to report shoddy contractors, road hazards Nov 07, 2025 News (Kaieteur News) – The Ministry of Public Works has launched two new hotlines aimed at empowering citizens and contractors to report concerns and improve accountability across the country. Announcing the initiative on Thursday via Facebook Live, Minister Juan Edghill said the move is designed to boost efficiency, address dissatisfaction, and ensure constant engagement with the public. “The ministry has decided to establish two hotlines, the first hotline will deal particularly and we will have a staff that will be able to receive all of these WhatsApp messages, pictures and the rest of it, and it will be for citizens to report dissatisfaction or happenings that they have concerns about in their communities,” he said. The number for citizens to contact is (592) 624-2964. Edghill elaborated that if residents see contractors doing unsatisfactory works, or persons putting up billboards, or people building out new encroachments on the road, or things that are offensive to the community, and is putting the community at risk, persons can raised their concerns using that number. “This will be addressed on a daily basis by specially designated staff that will be operating out of the minister’s office. So it is not just somebody receiving messages, they will bring these things to the attention of the minister, the responsible engineer, the responsible program manager, will have to act immediately, and it’s one way of improving citizen satisfaction, ensuring efficiency and implementing Government’s programme in a manner that benefits the people,” he disclosed. The second hotline the ministry has established is (592) 624-2965, which is to improve its delivery of services to their contractors. The Public Works Minister stated that they have thousands of persons who are engaged in all 10 regions with contracts. The minister mentioned that contractors are viewed as their partners in development. However, he said, “The ministry will not pay for sloppy work. The ministry will not allow contractors to make money and don’t do the work based upon the design and the quantities that have been established by the Bill and in their contract document.” That being said, the minister noted that there may be contractors who have problems with payments and others issues relating to works. The hotline was established for them to use, to bring about satisfaction and resolution to these matters. “We’re establishing a hotline for contractors to use so that the ministry will be able to track all that is happening and improve efficiency,” he added. During his live broadcast, the minister also addressed the removal of derelict vehicles, damage to government property by motorists, encroachments and building on road shoulders and government reserves, and cautioning truck drivers of the new weight limit being implemented. On the topic of derelict vehicles, Minister Edghill related that over the last year, they have been moving and taking to the derelict dumpsite vehicles of all sizes and descriptions. This exercise he mentioned has been an unnecessary cost to the state and it is putting citizens’ life at risk. “We are giving notice to everyone, derelict vehicles, vehicles without wheels, vehicles without doors, vehicles with bush growing in it that have been abandoned on road shoulders will be removed and it will be crushed into scrap at the government’s derelict site, which is on the Linden/ Soesdyke Highway. We have engaged a number of contractors who have been moving. This is a costly exercise, of course, and an unnecessary cost to the state, and I repeat, an unnecessary cost to the state, but it’s not something that we could refuse to do or not do, because we’re putting citizens’ lives at risk. It is a safety issue, because when the shoulders are encumbered, in the case of an emergency, you don’t have anywhere to pass and then it’s also a security issue, because people could hide in these areas,” he explained on Thursday. Another issue he raised is the damage to government property. “We have seen that a number of accidents have occurred. Now, when those accidents occur, not only lives are lost or limbs are damaged and people have severe injuries, but there is also a phenomenon where government property is being damaged as well,” he stated. According to the minister, the ministry is working with the Guyana Police Force, and they are giving notice that any motorist involved in an accident and they damaged a lamp pole, a traffic light, a guard rails, or break out the head walls for bridges and culverts, that the parties responsible will “have to pay.” “We also have a situation where owners of excavators another heavy-duty machinery are walking on newly paved roads without putting the pads so they are digging into the asphalt, destroying road shoulders, and we’re indicating this practice must stop. We’ve been talking to people, and we have been engaging, but the time has come when we have to enforce this and giving notice in damage government property, we will be made to pay for it. Our legal team will pursue ensuring that the cost of repairing will be borne by you,” he warned. On the issue of encroachments on the road shoulders, the Public Works Minister said that this phenomenon has been a “vexing issue for a very, very long time.” He added that they have seen a new development where supermarkets, as well as other major stores having been bringing things out almost on the road. He mentioned that while the government is encouraging people to do business and be entrepreneurs, they should however; operate in a framework of law and order. “Because the pedestrian walkways are encumbered by these businesses with advertising their merchandise or their items, pedestrians have to walk in the path of moving vehicles rather than being in the path of the footpath that is created on the road shoulder. And this is becoming more and more pronounced. Over the last several days, we’ve had cause to move and remove items from some of these businesses and I’ve indicated it will not be allowed,” he explained. “We are begging and we are pleading with all our Guyanese brothers and sisters, as we continue to modernise and transform life, we can do better, and wherever they are violations, we will continue to move these encumbrances and encroachments,” he related. According to the minister, the ministry’s team has been visiting areas and talking to people ensuing there is compliance. Lastly, on the issue of overloaded trucks on the roadways, the minister announced that a meeting will be held in collaboration with the Ministry of Natural Resources and the Geology of Mines Commission with all owners of quarries, sandpits and loam pits on the new road regulations which will be implemented swiftly. As reported previously, the Cabinet gave its approval for new regulations to be implemented with the standard weight per truck is 15 tonnes per axel. hotlines, Juan Edghill, Road hazards, shoddy contractors
