Clarifications on the impasse a sunken dredge caused

Oct 20, 2016 Letters

Dear Editor,
Please publish this letter to express a more factual account as to the many inconveniences that was experienced by boat operators using the Mazaruni River, from early June, when the dredge sank, to October. I am the CEO of Odyssey Transportation Inc. and may I point out, a good friend of Mr Mahendra Persaud. I was quite surprised to see Mr Persaud put a full page statement in Kaieteur News on Sunday 16th, as beyond a small paragraph of apology he went on to say that no one was greatly affected by the mishap, well I beg to differ. My boats were directly prevented from operating for thirty three (33) days, and this can easily be verified by contacting the police at Bartica to whom passengers are required to check with on every trip. And strangely my company was notified on several occasions by Crown Mining Company not to operate on days they requested.
Mr Persaud went on to say that the Piremap Falls is deemed impassable yet MARAD official uses the same channel and incidentally it was the same channel that Mr Persaud’s dredge was trying to use, and imagine this falls that is deemed impassable then there is this dredge stuck in the middle and still Mr Persaud insists that river traffic was not disrupted. Mr Persaud went on to say he was at that location for 14 weeks….some of us know differently.
I cannot speak for other boat-users, and sorry, but I can’t afford a full page statement but I hope this gives people a better perspective and to Mr Persaud I say just a simple apology would have been enough. On this matter I say no more.
Feroze Barakat

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