CABINET last Tuesday granted its no-objection to a contract worth more than $31M that would see the rehabilitation of the Parika Stelling, East Bank Essequibo. 

This was announced on Thursday by Head of the Presidential Secretariat, Dr. Roger Luncheon at his post-Cabinet press briefing at the Office of the President in Georgetown.
The facilities at Parika, Leguan and Fort Island were among stellings that were rehabilitated last year under the Transport and Harbours Department’s (T&HD) 2013 capital allottment of $393M.
According to T&HD General Manager, Ms. Marcelene Merchant, earlier this year, besides stelling repairs, the money was also used to dry-dock two vessels, as well as acquiring spares.
Work on the Parika Stelling cost around $5M, and included the construction of additional lavatory facilities for passengers among other repairs that were effected.
Repairs undertaken at the Leguan Stelling cost in the vicinity of $4.7M, while Fort Island’s was to the tune of $3M. Some work was also done at the Bartica Stelling at a cost of $11.9M, Merchant had said.

Other interventions had also included the lifting and re-fencing of the scale at the Parika Stelling; the modification of the one at the Supenaam Stelling; and the effecting of repairs to the speedboat steps at Parika, Vreed-en-Hoop, and Georgetown Stellings; the installation of collapsible steel rails at the Georgetown and Vreed-en-Hoop Stellings to facilitate the extended night operation of speedboats; and upgrading the close-circuit network at the THD Goods Wharf on upper Water Street, Kingston.
On this year’s agenda, she said, will be the acquisition of even more spares, and the modification and repair of the Supenaam and Parika Stellings and the Mazaruni dockage. Also on the agenda, she said, is the acquisition of a generator for use at Parika during ‘blackouts’.
T&HD is also mulling the acquisition of a number of fuel meters for its fleet, an investment of some $42M in order to stem the reported pilfering of fuel and also to keep tabs on the actual fuel received from the fuel trucks, among other functions, Merchant said.
Written By Telesha Ramnarine