Africa-Press – Seychelles. The Minister for Transport, Antony Derjacques, said he was satisfied that the Seychelles Land Transport Agency (SLTA) and the Seychelles Ports Authority (SPA) are fulfilling their duties on Praslin.
He made the comment yesterday following a visit to various projects being undertaken by the two agencies on the island.
Minister Derjacques – who was accompanied by the principal secretary for land transport, Patrick Andre; SLTA’s chief executive, Parinda Herath; SPA’s chief executive, Sony Payet; senior legal officer within the Ministry of Transport, Kenny Elizabeth and SPA’s director of projects, Franky Laporte – said he had called for the visit earlier in the year, as he recognises the main challenges of infrastructure development on the island.
This is mainly due to constant lack of construction materials, difficult terrains and issues of wayleave by proprietors.
The delegation started the visit at Pasquere road (Phase 4) in Grand Anse, which borders several tourism establishments and residential areas.
The Pasquere road project includes the widening, resurfacing and to some extent full construction of the road that connects Anse Boudin to Grand Anse, specifically in the vicinity of the Britannia Hotel.
Another site visited yesterday was the Vallée de Mai road, which requires constant resurfacing to fix fissures in the road, formed following diesel spill by heavy vehicles.
Apart from resurfacing, the area will also get proper signage and a zebra crossing close to its bus stop.
In Baie Ste Anne, the delegation visited the Kato Nwanr construction site that encompasses a joint project by the SPA and SLTA.
This includes a six-month project to build a new passenger terminal that is expected to be completed by mid-February. SLTA is presently undertaking work to complete the access road and roundabout leading to the passenger terminal and this is around 60 percent complete with slight delays expected, to allow for the installation of PUC utilities and C&W cables.
Another SPA project in Baie Ste Anne is the cargo terminal located on Eve Island. According to SPA the terminal is expected to offer improved loading and unloading facilities, as well as three additional warehouses for commercial companies transporting goods to the island. It also includes a cold storage, multi-storey parking and a helipad for emergencies.
Following the visits, Minister Derjacques said he was “impressed with the work done by both organisations despite the challenges. I am also very impressed with the new passenger terminal at Baie Ste Anne that promises many more commercial activities on Praslin”.
It should be noted road work on Praslin remains a key priority for SLTA and since 2018, the organisation has carried out various road works on Praslin covering different phases in Pasquere with a R46 million budget, as well as Anse La Blague and Consolation.
In an interview with the press, SLTA’s chief executive, Parinda Herath, stated that the organisation remains committed to improving the roads on Praslin, so as to benefit the majority of the population.
This includes resurfacing works, road widening that will allow two way traffic and even the possibility of cycling lanes.
“We remain committed to our duties but all of our work will depend on our allocated budget per annum and the urgency of projects. We are aware that the increased traffic and environmental impacts call for improvements of roads and we will work to the best of our abilities,” he said.
The ministerial delegation will travel to La Digue today to oversee projects being undertaken there by organisations falling under its portfolio.
The accompanying photos show some highlights of the ministerial delegation’s visits on Praslin.
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