KINGSTON - A fresh approach is being taken as the Government looks at the rehabilitation of the stellings across the country, starting with the Bartica Ferry Stelling.
Minister of Public Infrastructure David Patterson, in a recent interview indicated that in the 21st century, the country cannot just have ‘a stelling for a ferry.’
He explained that in every community, the waterfront is the prime spot; therefore, more emphasis should be placed on ensuring that the stelling will be transformed, in keeping with the ‘soon to be’ conferred status of township for Bartica.
“You can have commercial and social areas in it, a restaurant and other attractions. We are not just fixing a few boards, we are actually working to a plan, so when Bartica becomes a town, you can step off the ferry or a speedboat, you step off into a town, into a commercial zone, a social zone,” Minister Patterson said.
Towards this end, the Transport and Harbours Department (T&HD), the agency with responsibility for stellings, was asked to be innovative when doing the rehabilitative works on the stelling.
The rehabilitation of the Bartica Stelling is seen by Minister Patterson as the perfect opportunity to redesign the future of Guyana, bringing it in tandem with the development that is likely to be seen over the coming years.
The 2015 National Budget has allocated $50M for the rehabilitation of stellings, and Bartica, Parika and Leguan among others will soon benefit. (GINA)
