Citing a “threat to public safety” in light of the planned increase in tolls, the government yesterday assumed temporary control over the operation of the Berbice River Bridge and promised to retain the present toll structure as its seek to find an amicable resolution to its ongoing dispute with the concessionaire, the Berbice Bridge Company Inc. (BBCI).
The announcement by the government will likely raise concerns in the investment community as it amounts to the compulsory acquisition of private property, a practice deeply frowned upon. Compulsory acquisition had gained infamy during the years of PNC government and under the leadership of the late President Forbes Burnham.
Through a statement issued by the Ministry of Public Infrastructure yesterday, the government announced that Public Infrastructure Minister David Patterson had issued an order declaring that the functions of the
