Dear Editor,
During my visit to Charity, I visited the wharf. Very soon this wharf will collapse as it is in a deplorable condition, and no one seems to be claiming ownership to repair it. The Regional administration of Region Two is claiming that the wharf belongs to the Ministry of Public Infrastructure and it’s their responsibility to repair it, but the Minister lately denied this. I can remember that this wharf was built by Desmond Hoyte’s PNC government and its primary purpose was for the discharge of Pomeroon farmers’ agricultural produce.
At that time the Guyana Marketing Corporation lorry would come and buy the farmers’ produce, and the farmers were doing good business. None of their produce was left to spoil or be returned, and this encouraged them to plant more. The wharf was commissioned by the former Minister of Agriculture Dr Patrick Mckenzie, and until the PPP took over it was managed by the Ministry of Agriculture.
The wharf was constructed by Archie Darrell, a local Guyanese contractor, in collaboration with central government. His company’s name was Guyconstruct, and he built several marketing centres and ice plants all over the country. It is the only wharf where farmers’ produce is brought to this day, landing and selling fees being charged by the Charity Neighbourhood Democratic Council for the wharf services. Under the PNC the fees were collected by the Regional Lands and Surveys and the Land Development Office. In my opinion since the Charity Neighbourhood Democratic is collecting the fees for rentals and the services of the wharf it’s their duty together with the Regional administration to repair this deplorable structure.
If this wharf is not repaired urgently there will be an accident, as some of the planks are scattered all over the deck, which has big holes. The piles and beams are rotten and need changing as early as possible to avoid a disaster when vehicles traverse it. Farmers with boats also park under the wharf out of the sun until they are ready to go back to their homes and farms.
Yours faithfully,
Mohamed Khan
