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Those contentious Berbice River Bridge toll charges

May 20, 2014 Letters

DEAR EDITOR,
Another brouhaha has broken out in Parliament, and this time it’s an attempt by the opposition majority to get the tolls charged by the Berbice Bridge Company Incorporated (BBCI) reduced for vehicular and other crossings.
The Berbice River Bridge was not an economically/financially viable project to start with, as no feasibility study was carried out, and therefore the apparently high tolls now being charged is necessary for its operation, maintenance and debt service obligations. I was unable to get any financial information, but based on my intuition and observations of the traffic using the bridge it seems that BBCI is having a negative return on its investment. If this is so, then for the tolls to be reduced the Government will have to either provide a subsidy or nationalize the entity if it is to remain solvent.
The Govt. is already heavily subsidizing the Demerara Harbour Bridge, Guyana Power and Light (GPL), Guysuco, etc., and therefore under the Berbice River Bridge Act, Minister of Public Works Robeson Benn has the authority to lower the tolls, but he has stated in no uncertain terms that the Government has no such intention.
Under the administration of former President Jagdeo – during which period the bridge was design and built – Winston Brassington from NICIL was able to include in the BBCI agreement a crafty clause which allows financial and other information considered confidential to be kept secret. Therefore no one except the Government and BBCI shareholders have access to information, financial or otherwise, which would indicate whether BBCI is making or losing money, and it is this information which the opposition needs before it can make any meaningful claim that the tolls are excessive and therefore a reduction is necessary.
Unfortunately, the opposition is unlikely to obtain this or any other information considered confidential by the Government anytime soon, for several reasons.  The Constitution of Guyana is so framed that any legislation passed in the National Assembly has to have the President’s assent before it becomes law. Simply put, no one gets anything unless the President says so, law or no law. Therefore unless Messrs. Granger and Harmon get the necessary changes made to the Constitution, much of their efforts in Parliament will achieve nothing and the minority Government will continue to spend public funds, award contracts, etc. with impunity and answerable to no one.
Because no feasibility was carried out for BBCI, alternative modes to provide cheaper and efficient transportation across the Berbice River were never considered and Berbicians were led to believe by the Jagdeo administration that BBCI would provide a cheaper and more efficient means than the ferry to cross the Berbice River, although no financial analysis was given at the time to support this claim. Now that the high tolls have become a reality and are likely to persist for years to come, there is apprehension and financial dismay by users.
Minister Benn could ease the pain on Berbicians by cross subsidization. He should increase the toll (very low) on the Demerara Harbour Bridge crossing and use the money to lower that of BBCI to the extent that its distribution is fair and equitable. This is not a novel idea. New York has used it for years, earmarking revenues from its Bridge and Tunnel Authority to subsidize the deficits of the Long Island Railroad, since these entities are part of an integrated transportation system.
Charles Sohan 

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