Has the No 63 Beach Management Committee been replaced?

Dear Editor,

On Tuesday, June 24, 2008, a GINA statement, carried in Stabroek News, indicated that the Minister of Tourism urged the “management committee” to complete the upgrading of the No 63 Beach to coincide with the completion of the Berbice River Bridge. The statement went on to say that the Ministry of Tourism will act in an “advisory role… while the region’s private sector is expected to lead the project.” It concluded by naming a chairman and some statutory members.

This committee appears to be different from the one that has been operating for a year-and-a-half now.

The latter met with the Minister of Tourism twice – once at Little Rock Hotel in New Amsterdam and another at the beach on Easter Monday, 2008. We also met with the Guyanese Tourism Authority at a function at the beach to mark the end of Tourism Month 2007. In none of these did anyone have anything but fulsome praise for the committee and its efforts to put in place a long-term comprehensive plan for the management of the beach.   In addition, the committee provided the Minister with an in-depth study of the area and its resources along with three management plans for more sustainable use of the fragile riverain area  – No 43/Good Hope to Nos 52-74 NDC.  The latter was done with the assistance of the Caribbean Regional Environmental Programme (CREP) under the supervision of the Resources Division of the Environmental Protection Agency. With the help of CREP an Upper Corentyne Environmental Committee (UCEC) was also formed and registered under the Friendly Societies Act.

There was no doubt that one of the functions of the UCEC was the management of the beach. Indeed, the three management plans spoke directly to the resources of the beach and its immediate environs.

The committee was, in fact, awaiting the response of the Minister to development plans which were submitted because one of the plans included proposals for a user fee for vehicles visiting the beach.

Things apparently took a different turn when the Secretary of the committee was informed at noon, June 16, 2008, that the Minister would be visiting Berbice on June 17, 2008 and would like to meet with the committee. The Secretary advised that it might not be possible to meet with Minister as he requested since he might not have time to contact the other members.

But he will see what can be done and get back to the ministry. There was, in addition, another issue of concern, ie the response of the Minister to the three management plans which had been submitted. Could the Minister be reminded of the issue and if a meeting is possible the following day he may come prepared to address it.

Later that afternoon the Secretary called back the ministry to say that the requested meeting would not be possible since only one other member could make the trip up to Rose Hall the following day.

The next day it was “circulated” that another beach committee was in the making. A week later the GINA announcement (SN June 24, 2008). On the morning of Monday, July 2, 2008, an ad announcing a Lime and Fish Fry at No 63 Beach for Caricom Day, July 7, 2008, hit the airwaves in Berbice. Of particular interest is the allocation of choice spots for vending on the beach for the event. One phone call revealed that the Lime and Fish Fry at the beach is coming with the compliments of the PPP/C Region Six.

Yours faithfully,
Rishee Thakur

Editor’s note
We are sending a copy of this letter to the Minister of Tourism, Industry and Commerce, Mr Manniram Prashad, for any comment(s) he may wish to make.