-urges operators to adhere to specifications laid out by Works Ministry
Minister of Transport and Hydraulics, Robeson Benn, is again calling on delinquent speed boat operators plying the Parika-Supenaam route to comply with the safety measures laid out by the Public Works Ministry to ensure that commuters are provided with an improved and safe service.
The Minister was at the time speaking with residents of Essequibo, Region Two, during a National Commission on Law and Order (NCLO) consultation at the Anna Regina Town Hall.
The Minister said that the requirements include a bulwark at the back of the boat to prevent sinking, flotation devices under the seats, and a cover to keep out the rain and sun.
“I am unhappy with the current service because it appears as though these operators are putting up all kinds of irrational reasons why these rules should not be given effect,” he lamented.
He noted too that in other countries around the world, this type of requirement is seen as standard and that if it is met by the operators, there will be growth in the number of persons using the service.
Minister Benn added that the service should not be different from that provided from Bartica to Parika or from Stabroek to Vreed-en-Hoop, where this arrangement has already been adopted.
Recently, boat operators have been using the argument that when the two new ferries come into operation, the speed boat service will be forced out of business to vindicate their lack of compliance to the rules.
In response, Minister Benn said that operators have to be competitive and in so doing they have to advance and improve the service that they are providing. The new ferries which are expected to arrive in Guyana in a little over a year’s time are currently being built in the People’s Republic of China.
“I want to appeal to the Parika-Supenaam operators to follow the specifications, to adopt the measures we have, and to provide a better and safer service to all our people who travel this route,” the Minister said.
He noted that this step is necessary as it fits in with the models for tourism development in Guyana and enhances the opportunity for more people to travel.
“People only utilise the service in unavoidable circumstances because it is not of a standard where one would readily use it. It is still too rudimentary and perceived as dangerous by people,” he asserted.
Only one boat operator, Jennifer Bovell, has conformed to the prerequisites thus far.
Bovell said that many of the commuters prefer to wait on the shedded boats, especially when it rains.
NDC Chairman, Cornel Damon, echoing his support, said that complying with the sheds is the way forward for speed boats from Supenaam to Parika. He also lauded the Minister for taking this step which, apart from ensuring some level of comfort, is also a necessary as a safety precaution. (GINA)