A DECISION by a local contractor to step up the ante in stone production to adequately meet the demands for several donor-funded sea defence contracts his company is currently executing countrywide, and the booming housing industry is not finding favour with at least one tour operator. Mr. Brian Tiwarie, Managing Director of BK Group of Companies of which BK Quarries located in the Mazaruni is a subsidiary, is being accused of ruining the landscape at the Barakara Falls, which is located within the quarrying concession of the company.
But Tiwarie, who through a public relations outfit managed by Mr. Kit Nacimento, invited the media to the Mazaruni area on Friday for a first-hand look at the situation, has argued that the decision to expand his quarrying operations should not be seen as one that was made for  “personal endearment,” but with a number of factors in mind.
It was explained that though the company is currently supplying some 60 per cent of the stone required on the local market, the demand for the commodity far exceeds the supply, even with other stone producers in the picture.
As such, management sees a dire need to expand its operations, for which a feasibility study was done some five years ago to determine a site that was suitable to accommodate it.
But before the company can extract the stone, which will be done by blasting the area with explosives, the thick vegetation in the area has to be removed, and that aspect of work is ongoing.
As a result of this, there is no longer a trail, and access to the `Falls’, which is about 400 metres from the waterway, is extremely difficult, especially during the current rainy period and consists of `slip and slides’ as was the experience of member of the media Friday.
The Barakara Falls is a man-made one and not a natural facility. There is evidence that some blasting of the rocks took place in the area before, and it was surmised that that may have been done by the previous owners sometime in the 50s or 60s.
It was explained that since the area is the lowest of all the areas, water from the highlands must find some means of escape, hence the decision to develop the ‘Falls’.
With the rain falling heavily yesterday and water in full flow, the tumbling sound of the water as it cascaded down the rocks could have fooled one into believing that it was truly a natural facility. From all appearances, it was evident that it is not being maintained by anyone in particular, as an access bridge to the area has seen its better days.
The falls, it was explained, was developed after some blasting was done in the area by a previous owner.  Cognizant that some tour operators and residents of the area have been using the falls as a tourist attraction and the inconvenience his expanded operations would cause, Tiwarie has moved to develop another facility, in the vicinity of the Teperu Hydro, not far away.
The contractor has already begun developing the area. Two benabs and toilet facilities have already been constructed, a police station was built nearby and is functioning, and according to Tiwarie, he also has other developmental plans for the facility.
And while BK Quarries would undertake to maintain the facility, which could be accessed by anyone free of cost, Tiwarie said he would like those going there to enjoy it to keep the area clean and not have it in an insanitary condition as presently obtains at the Barakara Falls.
But tour operator, Alisha Ousman, who has been operating Wonderland Tours, an outfit which charges a fee to take tourists sightseeing to various destinations including Barakara Falls, would not hear of it.
An evidently emotional Ousman argued that for 13-odd years she and other tour operators have been using the area to take tourists, and bemoaning the fact that the luxury would be no more, has vowed to take her fight to the international level.
Nascimento said the area also has sentimental value for both he and wife, Gem, as they were married there. The Chronicle recalled, too, that a group of Miss Guyana hopefuls had done a photo-shoot there as well one year.
With all the reminiscing and nostalgia going on around him, Tiwarie wondered aloud why there was no move to develop the area, adding that he could not fathom why after some 13 years, no one, not even a tour operator, has seen it fit to develop the area, plant a tree, or construct the barest of amenities such as a toilet, rather than leave it to become rundown.
Ousman shot back that there was no need to build toilets as “tourists prefer to use the bushes” to answer the call of nature. At this point, she let the cat out of the bag saying that it was someone from BK’s own PR unit who had drawn her attention to what was happening in the area and urged that the media be made aware of it.
Tiwarie reiterated that his company had, before moving to clear the area, invested in having a feasibility study done by the authority responsible for such matters, namely the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) “and no one, no one has objected to the findings.”
He stressed that while it is not his company’s intention to disturb the natural environment, it has to meet a national demand for boulders and varying aggregates of stone.
Noting that he was sure several other such facilities exist around the area and that diligent investigation by the tour operators would bear him out on this, Tiwarie reiterated that his company was committed to fully develop the new facility, which would be enjoyed by both locals and foreigners free of cost.
He even produced a copy of the findings of the study he had done on the area in question, and in response to claims that his company is being irresponsible in doing work in the area, Tiwarie said that this was far from the truth, as it has already begun doing something about restoring the vegetation in those worked-out areas.
To date, the company has planted some 14, 000 pine suckers, as well as peppers. Numerous, orange, soursop, mango and cherry trees are also evident, while in front of the homes of several  of the workers resident there, there are thriving kitchen gardens.
Some 150 persons, the majority from surrounding areas, are employed at BK Quarries and live on site. They are supplied with three meals and a snack daily, and have their laundry done as well.
The company has also constructed a modern four-story building on site which houses a modern cafetería, and bar for staff. On the third floor is accommodation for guests, while the top flat is reserved for Tiwarie and his family.
Dring a brief conducted tour of the company’s quarrying facilities, Company General Manager of the Mazaruni operations, Dayaljee Persaud, explained that two quarries are being worked, at Itabu and Teperu, with the latter being primarily used for the production of stone for the 18 kilometres of EU-funded  sea defence contracts, sited in Regions Two (Pomeroon/Supenaam), Three (West Demerara/Essequibo Islands), Four (Demerara/Mahaica)  and Six (East Berbice/Corentyne).
The boulders are then stocked, as per specification, to be loaded onto barges and taken to the various sites. The rejects are taken to the crushing plant. Dayaljee also spoke of  the company’s policy of re-growing vegetation and reclaiming land.
He said that preparations are in train for another blast sometime later this month.