THE Transport Advisory Council has been resuscitated with the swearing in on Tuesday of a seven-member panel almost 19 years since it last sat.

The council aim is to provide a comprehensive approach to the management of the Transport and Harbours Department (T&HD). The council, which will serve for two years, comprises of Basil Blackman – Chairman; Marclene Merchant – Deputy Chair; Ayesha Edwards; Leon Castello; Louise Williams; Sandra Jones; and Saheed Sulaman. The council was inducted at a meeting on at the Ministry of Public Infrastructure, Kingston.

Minister within the Ministry of Public Infrastructure, Annette Ferguson, said the council must be able to function independently and provide directives for the management and functions of the T&HD. “Once you have the competent people on the Advisory Council, they will be in the position to give us the necessary guidance and direction so as to make informed policies to charter this particular organisation forward,” Minister Ferguson said.

The new council is tasked with addressing the staffing and administration of the T&HD; the operations and services offered by the department; enhancing services offered to the public and recommending policies and regulations to improve efficiencies in the T&HD.

Additionally, the minister herself identified few areas which the council can address and thereby foster improvements. The modernisation of the T&HD, especially replacing the ticketing system for ferry-goers with an online system; the enhancement of safety procedures and reduction of travel times on T&HD vessels were areas identified.

Minister Ferguson emphasised that the council was resuscitated due to the need for a more comprehensive approach to the management of the Transport and Harbours Department. This resuscitation is also encompassed in the Government’s mandate of transparency and accountability. Section Five of the Transport and Harbours Act makes provision for an advisory council, thus establishing this council is a legitimate way of providing additional guidance to the department. Moreover, the Minster has identified certain deficiencies within the department and related that it “really needs the assistance.”

“This council has the right mixture of skills and experience, inclusive of that of legal, economic and transport backgrounds to provide the necessary advice to the minister to improve the functioning of the T&HD,” Minister Ferguson noted.

Speaking of behalf of the council, Chairman Basil Blackman expressed gratitude to the Ministry for recognising the need for the resuscitation of the Transport Advisory Council. During the two year tenure, the Chairman asserted that the council will seek to fulfil their mandate effectively and efficiently. The department, according to the Minister, is one of Guyana’s oldest river transport agencies. The council has been defunct since July 1998, 19 years ago.