Government officials said they are still working out a plan to figure out how to best compensate those business owners who were adversely affected by the New Providence Road Improvement Project (NPRIP).
Minister of Works and Urban Renewal Deputy Prime Minister Philip “Brave” Davis said recently, that a decision was made to compensate those affected by the road works, many of whom had to shut down their businesses due to massive losses.
“That’s an ongoing exercise to determine, first of all, the methodology and what practice would go into arriving at a suitable compensation,” he said.
“That is ongoing and that is in the purview of the Ministry of Finance and the details of it I know of, but I don’t know how far they are with it.”
The $200 million, two-year long NPRIP has been a sore spot for many Bahamian business owners who stores were located on those main roads that had to undergo major road works.
The situation got so bad that many protests and demonstrations were held with workers and shop owners who were losing thousands of dollars a week, as customers could not access their stores due to road closures and diversions.
The Coconut Grove Business League, a group of business owners on Market Street, even took the previous Ingraham administration to court.
Main thoroughfares like Blue Hill Road, Baillou Hill Road and Market Street were rerouted, widened and repaved.
Massive road works were also done on Robinson Road, Prince Charles Drive, Wulff Road, John F Kennedy Drive, among others.
New, wider sidewalks were also put in on the roads and road markings were made more noticeable.
While no decision has been arrived yet as to how these people would be paid, Mr. Davis said some relief is already in place.
“Insofar as what we have done already about this,” he added. “What we have done is we have amended the Business License Act to permit businesses to apply to the Business License Office for relief of business license fees where there businesses have been affected by these road works. That is in place now.”
The NPRIP is slated for completed October 31, 2012.
