-sees relief initiatives as effort to take away revenue from municipalities

WITH recent announcements made that several bridges across the country will be made toll-free, People’s National Congress/ Reform (PNCR) leader Aubrey Norton has criticised this move.

Norton, who is also the opposition leader, made this position known on Friday during his press conference, where he called the initiative which was recently announced by President Dr. Irfaan Ali ‘jokey.’

When asked about his views on the announcement, Norton indicated the PNCR is suspicious of this move.

Speaking specifically on the move to remove toll from the Wismar bridge at Linden, he said: “The next thing as it relates to the Linden bridge, I am 99.9 per cent sure that the intention is not to help the people of Linden.”

Though both President Ali and Vice-President Dr Bharrat Jagdeo have noted that such a move would ease the burden on the pockets of the people of the country, Norton still maintains his position.

He went on to add that he further believes that this move is one that will “starve” APNU-controlled cities of resources.

“Lindeners, New Amsterdamers, people in Georgetown must not be carried away by this jokey thing that Irfaan Ali and Jagdeo are speaking about,” he said.

At the end of August, President Ali announced that commuters would soon benefit from toll-free travel across the new Demerara, Berbice and Mackenzie/Wismar bridges.

“We are bridging the hearts and minds of every Guyanese. We are bridging every community, and we are doing it free of cost, because we are doing it out of the abundance of love,” President Ali said at the time.
Further to this, Dr Jagdeo had strongly defended the move to make these major bridges toll-free and noted that it brings significant benefits for the ordinary man when it is implemented.

He said: “It’s not monkeys that will cross the bridge; it’s our people. They would have big savings if they crossed the bridge; they would all benefit including Norton, if he takes a trip across Region Three or goes across the bridge in Wismar.”

The step to remove tolls from these major bridges will bring greater ease in travel, while eliminating financial burdens on commuters.