KINGSTON, Georgetown – Persons, who frequently use the power boat service as a mode of transportation, have the right to request the licenses of boat operators before boarding the vessels.
This is the view of Maritime Administration Department’s (MARAD) head, Claudette Rogers.
“Your life should be important to you as it is to us. We think it is absolutely necessary and we think it would only take one second of your time to ask that question, which will determine whether you will go with that operator or not. The choice becomes yours… You may the person that makes a difference,” Ms. Rogers said.
While the department has made it mandatory for operators to have copies of their license on the vessels, there have been a number of illegal operators traversing the waterways.
Therefore, in an effort to curb such a practice, MARAD has pushed for greater maritime safety.
According to Ms. Rogers, MARAD officers are partnering with boat associations and have been in continuous consultations with them. Ongoing meetings have been held to discuss safety issues and every quarter the department reviews operators’ vessels.
“…this is to ensure [that] the boats are outfitted with the requisite gear and paperwork for their vessels are up to standard,” she explained.
Likewise, keen attention has been placed along the Mazaruni area whereby life jackets are distributed to school children. Patrols too, Ms. Rogers added, have heightened.
“We have been using our marine vessels at least once or twice a week, with an estimated 50 illegal operators caught so far for the year,” she said.
KINGSTON, Georgetown - Minister of Public Works, Robeson Benn last Thursday began another round of visits to major civil engineering projects, now that the weather has improved somewhat to make sure that contractors are keeping good pace and that the work is of good quality.
He acknowledged that there have been criticisms about the pace of work which has been affected by the extended period of rainfall with the rainy season going into July. There were also challenges with the supply of materials such as crusher run, aggregate and materials from the quarries.
“We hope that those issues are largely behind us and that we could move forward efficiently… so I’m calling on all the contractors, engineers, supporting consultants, Ministry staff and utility owners to work together to achieve projects on time so that we give the best service that we can to the public,” Minister Benn emphasised.
With regards to the sea defence project on the sea wall in Georgetown, he stressed the cost effectiveness of the structure that can be relocated. While there has not been a recurrence of the high tides, the hurricane season has started which may cause surges in the sea that can arrive on the Guyana coast. “So we are monitoring the situation and we are on the look- out for those to be able to respond as much as possible,” the Minister said.
He added that as more of the wall sections go in towards the end of the new month the sand bags will be removed from along the road. For the full story please click http://gina.gov.gy/wp/?p=13677
KINGSTON, Georgetown – Several big buses are being contemplated in a pilot programme to determine how feasible it would be in easing the woes of Guyanese who depend on public transportation.
Hon. Robeson Benn, Minister of Public Works, made this announcement during a visit to Region 3 (Essequibo Islands/West Demerara) with his colleague Hon. Ganga Persaud, Minister of Local Government and Regional Development.
“We are bringing in some big buses to test the system…I have been looking at the traffic situation and the many problems of persons stranded on roadways en route to work and during the evenings on their way home,” he told residents.
According to him, several options are being looked at by the relevant agencies, adding that Government “cannot just bring back the system and implement it without conducting the appropriate studies and surveys”.
Reintroducing that mode of transport, Hon. Benn pointed out, will also be an avenue whereby Government can cushion the costs to commuters using privately operated vehicles.
In 2011, the Government had introduced a temporary service, where big buses were put on the roads to convey passengers after private operators withdrew theirs, in protest of the Government’s non-support of a hike in minibus fares.
KINGSTON, Georgetown – The Ministry’s Chief Works Officer is pleading with contractors working along the East Coast of Demerara (ECD) Upgrade Road Project to pick up the pace.
The $1B Works Ministry project commenced in March 2013, and runs for a year.
However, Chief Works Officer, Jeffery Vaughn, explained that from observations the rate in which the project is progressing “is too slow”.
“They need to work with some expediency. There are too many traffic congestions…we need to ease that problem,” Mr. Vaughn said. Whilst he admitted there is a problem with utility equipment, which the Ministry is “dealing with” the Engineer is of the view that more can be done to speed up the pace of the road rehabilitation project.
The project spans through six communities – Better Hope through Mon Repos.
Two Customs officers and a supervisor of Caribbean Airlines (CAL) are among several individuals fingered in the recent 11 kilogrammes cocaine bust at the Cheddi Jagan International Corporation (CJIAC).
Additionally, a security officer attached to Secure Innovation and Concept (SIC) and a ground staff of Timehri Handling Services are also under investigation. The companies are contracted by the airline.
Last Saturday [July 26] around midday, members of the Customs and Anti Narcotic Unit (CANU) were called to further examine a bag after an alert SIC staff discovered inconsistencies with the baggage tag. The bag contained 10 parcels of cocaine weighing around 20 pounds.
According to an airport official, the illicit drugs were the only parcels in the bag that was destined for John F Kennedy International (JFK) Airport, USA via Caribbean Airlines 526. The street value for one kilogramme of cocaine costs USD $35,000 or GYD $7M.
Meanwhile, CJIAC’s security office was able to map the movement of the bag in the airport. The official confirmed that there is strong evidence to suggest that a Customs Officer facilitated the movement of the bag containing the cocaine into the restricted area of the facility.
The official further stated that the tag found on the bag can be traced back to a Caribbean Airlines staff, who it is believed was working in cahoots with the Airline Security, Customs Officers and the Ground Handling Staff to facilitate this drug movement.
KINGSTON, Georgetown – Several initiatives have been put in place to improve safety throughout the nation’s waterways, Minister of Public Works, Robeson Benn told members of National Assembly yesterday.
Minister Benn outlined several of the measures being taken by the local maritime administration as he responded to a motion put before the House to have a Commission of Inquiry (COI).
The COI, when established, will make inquiries into maritime and riverine incidents which have occurred since January 1, 1999, to determine the extent of such incidents, and to make recommendations for safe travel and the protection of life on the country’s waterways and coastal waters.
Some of the measures outlined by the minister include the provision of 1,000 life vests/jackets to schools within riverine communities, with 200 already being handed over; contracting of a public relations firm to conduct recurrent training for boat operators on safety and operational issues, training of riverine pilots, certification of sailors and other boat operators and the establishment of a benevolent fund to assist victims of river and sea-going mishaps.
KINGSTON, Georgetown – The question of transparency for the mammoth Amaila Fall Hydro Power (AFHP) project should be “a moot one” since key stakeholders had possession of the project’s documents for more than a year now.
This sentiment was expressed by Minister of Public Works, Hon. Robeson Benn, on Tuesday during a tour with reporters.
The US$840M AFHP has been in the headlines on a daily basis after the combined opposition voted down a Bill and a Motion at the last National Assembly Sitting to propel the hydropower project forward.
According to the Works Minister, proper project management has been practiced on the large scaled project’s conceptualization.
“…when we had difficulties on this project whether it was a Guyana company or a foreign contractor that failed we dealt with them. Whether it was Synergy or whether it was Bovell, or Pasha when they did not perform we dealt with them. We are running a proper project…and it is being done in the national interest. We dealt with those things and issues and the question of transparency and so on is a mute one now given that all the documentations were given since last year March have been provided to all those who may have an interest in it.”
The AFHP is expected to generate reliable, affordable and clean energy and the project is a fundamental component of Guyana’s Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS).
It is intended to significantly lower Guyana’s carbon footprint while reducing the country’s long term energy costs and exposure to the volatility of imported oil prices.
The project involves the construction of a hydropower plant in the area of west-central Guyana, where the Amaila and Kuribrong Rivers meet. Electricity produced at the plant will be delivered to the Guyana capital, Georgetown, and its second largest town, Linden, by an electric transmission line.
KINGSTON, Georgetown – Stakeholders of Ogle International Airport were assured by the Works Minister that safety precautions are in place at the facility.
“All basic steps are being taken to make it [Ogle] safe and secure,” Hon. Robeson Benn, who also has responsibility for transport, said on Monday following LIAT’s inaugural flight to the airport located on the East Coast Demerara (ECD).
He added, “I have been told by Mr. Harold Hopkinson that we have over 30-something cameras around the facility with respect to being able to access both air side and land side. I also noticed the dog which sniffs substances lying in wait there.”
And while the airport authorities would be challenged by individuals determined to test the resolute of the security system, the Minister stated that his Ministry in collaboration with the Home Affairs Ministry, the Guyana Civil Aviation Authority; airport employees; and relevant authorities such as the Customs Anti-Narcotics Unit (CANU) “will work together to ensure persons do not get away with breaking the law”.
Meanwhile, Ogle Airport security consultant Mr. Hopkinson said the airport has learnt from the Cheddi Jagan International Airport’s (CJIA) security mishaps.
“We will not make those basic mistakes, and we have a competent team of persons that will stem the tide of illegal narcotics and drugs; we have CANU and the police. We have a constant report and we share information; therefore, we have a good thing going.” The cameras are effective, he told reporters, adding that they work 24 hours and have backup systems in place.
KINGSTON, Georgetown – “…not only are we resolving the problem with respect to Ogle and the Caribbean region, but we are also laying basis and foundation for reaching further afield into South America with these types of aircraft,” declared the country’s Public Works Minister, Hon. Robeson Benn, at the inaugural landing of a LIAT flight at Ogle Airstrip on Monday.
Flight LI512 glided on the runway at 12:30. The 50-seater Dash 8 aircraft was filled to capacity.
The airline’s move, Hon. Benn noted, will help to address regional connections - a major barrier in the Caribbean.
He also noted that CARICOM officials have a vested interest in the airline’s operation since its headquarters is in close proximity.
Meanwhile, on an economic front Hon. Benn pointed out that with Brazil hosting the Football World Cup tournament and Olympics Games, the airline’s new initiative will boost the country’s financial standing.
He also expressed his gratitude to funding agencies including the European Union for making the venture become a reality.
“I remember the interest from former President Bharrat Jagdeo in this project, and Finance Minister Ashni Singh and I want to acknowledge their efforts, contributions and foresight with respect to having the realisation of this transformational project,” he posited.
Meanwhile, in a press release issued to Guyana’s media fraternity, the regional airline stated that the service will “now provide the carrier with the competitive edge in the Guyana market for regional flights.”
KINGSTON, Georgetown – The 165 kilometer access road to Amaila Falls is 67 percent completed, Minister of Works Hon. Robeson Benn announced to journalists during a site visit on July 23. The road snakes through Regions 10, 7 and 8.
So far, Government has injected US$12M on the laterite surfaced road.
The US$840M Amaila Fall Hydro Power project is one of the country’s transformational projects intended to bring an estimated 160 megawatts of power into the national grid. In essence, Guyanese would have access to cheaper and reliable electricity.
“It is estimated that the Project could see a reduction in electricity rates by as much as 40 percent while the fuel import bill could drop between 20 and 25 percent,” the Minister explained.
But with the combined opposition making every effort to block further progress, the Works Minister lamented that monies and human resources would “all be for nothing”.
“This is the first time in Guyana’s history that a project of this scale [has] come this far…we have everything in place… we are ready to go so it would be a shame and a great reversal of our country’s fortune if we are unable to continue this project,” he pointed out.
In giving an overview to the road’s progress, Hon. Benn disclosed that the complete alignment for the road is finished, while the embankment is still to be completed in section seven – that final part is currently executed by China Rail First Group Company Limited.
Furthermore, a number of bridges are constructed along Section 2(B) of the road, and a technical team is reviewing the critical issue of a crossing at Kuribrong River, where a bridge will be erected. He also noted that there will be a river crossing at the Essequibo River which will also be a Barge crossing as well.
Boosting direct employment
Close to 240 Guyanese including residents living in close proximity to the road have benefited economically, Minister Benn revealed.
“We have young people as engineers, technicians, labourers, equipment operators… a wide range of Guyanese to realize this project and we also have our partners to make this a success. Great benefits will be incurred in the present and the future and we want to hold the door open for discussions so that all Guyanese will get on board.”
The road is expected to be completed by December 31, 2013.
