[www.inewsguyana.com] – The Ministry of Public Infrastructure has commenced work to rebuild the historical Umana Yana, which was destroyed by fire in 2014. The foundation and the flooring are currently being done at the original site in Kingston.
These works started on November 18 and are expected to be completed before December 31. The value of the foundation work is $7.135 million.
According to the Government Information Agency, Project Engineer, Khiraj Bisesar explained that the project is being done in phases. He said that the Ministry will also be installing solar powered systems, fire prevention systems, including water sprinklers and fire extinguishers, and cooling systems.
Following these works, the Ministry of Indigenous People’s Affairs will take over the project. The foundation will also be raised to alleviate possible flooding. It is expected that the new benab will be built using traditional methods by members of the Wai Wai tribe led by former Toshao Colin Andrews.
The materials will be supplied by the villages of Masakenari and Moraikobai. In the preliminary budget, a total of $66.680M was allocated for this project; however, the final cost for the project will be determined, based upon the materials supplied and the cost to bring these from the interior.
