-Transport Minister
Construction work on the airstrip in the Essequibo River island of Wakenaam is slated for completion by the end of April this year and the administration expects to construct and commission an airstrip on the sister island of Leguan before the end of the year.
This was revealed by Transport Minister Robeson Benn on Wednesday evening in the National Assembly when questions regarding air and river transport in Region Three were put by the opposition PNCR during consideration of the 2010 Estimates of Expenditure by the Committee of Supply.
PNCR MP Mervyn Williams queried whether a study had been carried out prior to the commencement of work earlier this month on the aerodrome at Wakenaam, and whether similar studies had been undertaken on the need for airstrips on the two islands. He observed that, “This is the second year monies were allocated for the projects” but that no work had been carried out previously.
Minister Benn replied that while work had begun on the airstrip at Wakenaam, the authorities were still working to acquire lands for the project at Leguan where such issues as the geographical layout of the airstrip had to be taken into account.
Stabroek News made several efforts over the past weeks to obtain information regarding the specifics of the Wakenaam project, including which construction firm had been awarded the contract, but this proved futile as officials within the National Procurement and Tender Administration Board (NPTAB), directed queries to the Work Services Group.
Efforts to obtain information from officials there were also to no avail.
This newspaper understands that the airstrip at Wakenaam is being built in the vicinity of Meer-Zorg, at the eastern end of the island.
Williams told Stabroek News last week that residents on the two islands were concerned about the ‘benefits’ of the projects, noting that they may only benefit the illicit trade in narcotics. He said that the roads on Leguan were in a deplorable state and as such, residents there were concerned about how the police would respond to any illegal activity at the proposed airstrip. In addition, he noted that the islands were in dire need of improved sea defence infrastructure.
Residents of the islands have long questioned the administration’s plans to construct airstrips, some complaining that they had not been consulted on the matter. However, Region Three Chairman Julius Faerber told Stabroek News last October that the authorities had carried out consultations on both islands with respect to these projects.
In the 2010 Budget, some $149.9M was allocated for work on the two airstrips, in addition to rehabilitation and maintenance work on other airstrips across the country. In the 2009 Budget, some $184M was allocated for the projects but they never got underway. Like Minister Benn, the Region Three Chairman told Stabroek News last October that the delay related to the acquisition of land.
Meanwhile, as regards river transport in the Essequibo River, PNCR MP Aubrey Norton on Wednesday questioned this year’s budgetary allocation under Capital Expenditure for the design and acquisition of two new vessels from China, against monies allocated for the docking and rehabilitation of two vessels currently in operation.
Some $32M has been set aside for the acquisition of the two vessels from China while $80M has been earmarked for the docking and rehabilitation of the MB Baramani and $100M for the MV Malali. Norton asked the Transport Minister whether the sums allocated for docking and maintenance could not have been used for sourcing additional vessels.
Minister Benn responded that the acquisition of vessels followed a process, noting that they were not “off-the-shelf items.” He stated that the two vessels being sourced from China represented a collaborative effort between the local and Chinese authorities, with some $30M coming from national coffers, while the Chinese were pledging a $2M grant.
With respect to the sums allocated for the MB Baramani and the MV Malali, Benn stated that some $25M had been allocated for docking/rehabilitation, and $55M for the acquisition of spares for the MB Baramani, while in the case of the MV Malali, $60M had been set aside for docking/rehabilitation and $40M for the acquisition of spares.
