Way paved for interior concessionaires to collect road tolls

Way paved for interior concessionaires
to collect road tolls
Kaieteur News, 24 October 2007
Government has introduced new regulations which will allow builders of
interior roads to collect tolls for its usage.

Yesterday, in announcing that the drafts of the agreements were ready
after more than a decade in the works, Minister of Agriculture Robert
Persaud said that over the years there were several cases of conflicts
with miners and loggers alike accusing each other of not being able to
use particular roads.

The new protocols, not without controversy with miners complaining
several weeks ago that they were not consulted, will allow unhindered
access to licencees, concessionaires and other legitimate interior
dwellers.

Given the measures which have to be approved by Prime Minister Sam
Hinds, the company which has constructed the roads and is desirous of
charging a toll, has to ensure that it maintains them.

Under the new arrangement, users of the roads are now barred from
driving on them after heavy rainfalls and could be liable if any damage
is caused by negligence.

While Government vehicles are exempt from tolls, the agreements allow
for vehicles and persons to be stopped at checkpoints for necessary
searches and registration. Prime Minister Samuel Hinds, who has
responsibility for mining, noted that the new arrangements sets the
stage for access to roads that any party may build. According to the
Prime Minister, the tolls would not even recover a third of the cost of
maintenance with one mile costing as much as US$30,000-$40,000 to
construct.

Last year, the Prime Minister received the first draft of the protocol
which eventually was approved by the Cabinet, disclosed Minister of
Agriculture Robert Persaud yesterday.

Last month, the Guyana Gold and Diamond Miners Association (GGDMA) had
complained that they were not consulted on the new arrangements but
yesterday the Prime Minister stressed that since the process was
ongoing for a long time now, some part of the process would have been
brought to the miners' attention.

And with regards to the stoppage of new mining permits for Barama's
concessions which were suspended some time ago, the official noted that
with the new arrangement now in place, the situation will resume.