GOVERNMENT has announced that a water taxi service pilot project will be implemented over the Berbice River. This is intended to aid students and the elderly who are affected by the refusal of the Berbice Bridge Company Inc (BBCI) to accept the government-proposed lowering of the toll.Minister of State Mr Joseph Harmon, told a press conference yesterday at the Ministry of the Presidency that government would be providing the infrastructure and regulatory framework to enable covered launches to operate as passenger vessels.

“A memorandum produced by the Minister of Public Infrastructure proposed the introduction of a water taxi service between the west[ern] and the east[ern] banks of the Berbice River. These discussions were prolonged and Cabinet gave its go-ahead to the establishment of a river taxi service,” Harmon explained.

He also said: “The government will not be providing the vessel; the Government will basically provide the infrastructure and regulatory arrangements for private entities to be engaged in this matter. We expect that a committee will look at the matter over this weekend. This will comprise of[sic] representatives from the Ministry of Public Infrastructure, Ministry of Education, Ministry of Social Protection and the Ministry of Public Security,” he disclosed.

Underscoring that the team will journey to the site, Harmon said a decision will be made on what systems should be put in place for the safety and security of persons travelling. He further said that Cabinet has mandated the Minister of Finance to continue engaging the BBCI to ensure that the reduction of the toll takes place.

“We are of the firm belief that very soon the [Berbice] Bridge Company, who had indicated that they had referred the matter to the shareholders of the company, that they will see the light and agree to have the toll reduced,” Harmon stressed.

Since announcing reduction of the tolls during the budget presentation in early August, government has been meeting with the company to work out the arrangements. During the budget presentation, Finance Minister Winston Jordan had announced that from Tuesday, September 1, the tolls for passenger cars and buses would have been reduced from $2,200 to $1,900 – a 13.6 percent decline. Tolls for all other types of vehicles were to have been reduced by 10 percent. This, however, did not materialise, and the BBCI told government that it wanted its shareholders to make the decision.

Minister Harmon has insisted that government wants to amicably conclude with the company the mechanisms leading to implementation of the announced toll reductions.

Apart from the state-owned National Industrial and Commercial Investments Ltd (NICIL) being the single largest shareholder, Queens Atlantic Investment Inc (QAII), which is controlled by Dr. Ranjisinghi ‘Bobby’ Ramroop, had, in 2011, acquired even more shares in the BBCI, making that entity the second largest shareholder.
The holders of ordinary shares in the BBCI are the National Insurance Scheme, New GPC, QAII, Secure International Finance Company, Hand-in-Hand, and Demerara Contractors.

Hailed by long-suffering Berbicians on its commissioning in 2008, the bridge has caused much dissatisfaction as mostly taxpayers’ dollars had been used for its construction, yet it ended up in the control of a few private investors.

By Rabindra Rooplall