GEORGETOWN – Public Works Minister Bishop Juan Edghill has issued a sharp warning to reckless drivers and operators of heavy machinery: damage government property, and you will pay; personally. Speaking during a live broadcast on the Ministry of Public Works’ Facebook page, the minister said the government is done footing the bill for destruction caused by negligent road users.
“We have seen that a number of accidents have occurred, and when those accidents occur, not only are lives lost or limbs damaged, but people suffer severe injuries, and there is also a phenomenon where government property is being damaged as well,” Edghill stated. The minister pointed to the growing number of collisions destroying lamp posts, traffic lights, guardrails, and bridge headwalls, leaving taxpayers to shoulder the cost of repairs.
He said those days are over. “You damage government property, you will be made to pay for it,” he declared. “Our legal team will pursue you, ensuring that the cost of repairing would be borne. Whatever it costs, the parties responsible will be made to pay.”
According to Edghill, the Ministry of Public Works is working alongside the Guyana Police Force’s Traffic and Maintenance Division to issue official notices and begin enforcement. The new policy aims to make road users financially liable for all damage to public infrastructure resulting from reckless or illegal driving.
But his warning didn’t stop there. The minister also addressed what he called a “growing menace”, operators of heavy-duty machinery using community roads irresponsibly. He cited cases of excavators and other construction vehicles being driven on newly paved roads without rubber pads, cutting into asphalt and damaging the surface.
“We have been talking to people, we have been engaging, but the time has come where we have to enforce this,” Edghill said. The minister emphasised that the crackdown is part of a broader national effort to preserve public infrastructure and improve road safety across the country.
He urged motorists to drive responsibly, reminding them that reckless behaviour comes with real costs and from now on, those costs won’t be paid by the government, but by the guilty.
