– gives word there’ll be no changes to operational structure, BBCI Board

AMIDST ongoing dispute over proposed increases of the Berbice Bridge toll, the government has moved to take over operation and maintenance of the Bridge until an amicable resolution can be met.

In a press statement on Monday, Minister of Public Infrastructure David Patterson stated that the decision takes immediate effect and is in accordance with the powers conferred upon the Minister by Sections 4 (1) and 11 of the Berbice River Bridge Act.

A portion of Section 4 (11) states: “A function exercisable by the Concessionaire may, be exercised by the Government — (a) in the event of a national emergency declared by the President; or (b) if the Minister determines that – (i) its exercise is necessary or expedient in the interests of public safety; or the Concessionaire has defaulted in the performance of its obligations under the Concession Agreement…”

An Order regarding such, cited as the Berbice River Bridge (Public Safety) Toll Order 2018, was gazetted on November 1, 2018 and signed by the Minister.

Meanwhile, Patterson’s address to the public took into consideration that the Board of Directors of the Berbice Bridge Company Limited (BBCI) had demanded a 360 per cent increase on the toll for all users set to take effect from November 12, 2018. Patterson referred to the move as “draconian”, “unreasonable” and “unwarranted”, which will only become burdensome to Berbicians and the public at large.

He further stated that the demand for an increase in toll is based on a “flawed formula and computation” and, as such, the government will do everything in its powers to alleviate disruption and ensure smooth function.

“On the basis of correspondence between both sides as recently as over the past few days, we do not envision a swift resolution to this crisis. Therefore, in accordance with the powers conferred upon the minister by Sections 4 (1) and 11 of the Berbice River Bridge Act, in the interests of public safety, the minister issued (today) an Order declaring that the functions of the Concessionaire to maintain and operate the Bridge shall be exercised by the Government of Guyana as of 5th November 2018 until the date the Minister specifies by notice on the cessation of the threat to public safety,” Patterson stated.

No fallout
He added that no staffing complement, contractors or suppliers would be affected during the temporary arrangement and that the government will be continuing its dialogue with BBCI in expectation of an amicable resolution.

“The truth is, too many of our citizens are dependent on the continuous operations and use of the Berbice Bridge and we should not allow anyone to unreasonably and capriciously endanger their livelihood and public order in one of our vital regions.

“The Ministry of Public Infrastructure would like to assure the citizens of Berbice and the public in general, on behalf of the Government of Guyana, that there will be no change to the present toll structure and all exemptions presently in place will remain in effect,” Patterson said.

On Monday Patterson also confirmed to the Guyana Chronicle that thus far no changes have been made to the operational structure of the BBCI’s Board. “The Ministry has met with the BBCI personnel on the ground and arrived at a solution, the BBCI staff will continue the day-to-day running of the bridge. No changes to the operational structure should be changed. No changes to the board will be made, the sole instruction is that they should operate as normal [and that] no toll increases should be made,” he said.

Just last Friday the BBCI, in a letter to Patterson, had offered that in turn for the withdrawal the proposed toll increases the government could view increasing the company’s concession period from 21to 40 years as an option. According to the Board of Directors, this would avoid the implementation of the toll increases announced on October 16, 2018 and the implementation of increases in the immediate future.

Providing further insight on this yesterday, BBCI’s Public Relations Consultant Kit Nascimento told this newspaper: “The Bridge Company thought that it would reach out to the government to see if it can find a solution and if the government would sit down with the bridge company and look for that solution and we proposed a solution.”

However, Patterson had since stated that although their proposal would be discussed at Cabinet on Wednesday, the government has no intention of abandoning its pursuit of legal advice.

Meanwhile, when the Guyana Chronicle put forward several questions to Nascimento regarding the recent unfolding, he stated: “The Company is consulting its lawyers.”