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Baramita airstrip pothole complaints lead to inspection of other runways
Vegetation encroaching on the Baramita airstrip
Following reports of the poor condition of the Baramita Airstrip, Region One, officials from the Ministry of Public Infrastructure and the Guyana Civil Aviation Authority, along with the project’s contractor, visited the airstrip to conduct an assessment.
According to the ministry, the visit occurred on Tuesday, last, and from it a number of issues were identified, including the absence of routine maintenance of the airstrip and misuse of the runway.
A report outlining the condition of the runway and the way forward was also compiled.
The contractor, M. Ramzan Ally Construction, conducted rehab works last year after a contract worth $70M was awarded.
The Ministry said that it will undertake inspections of all other airstrips where this method of sealing was used to ensure similar issues do not occur.
The Ministry will also review the performance of maintenance contracts to ensure that projects were executed properly.
“If it is discovered that same is unacceptable, immediate action will be taken since the safety of passengers is the top priority. Furthermore, the Ministry will take up the opportunity during the upcoming National Toshaos Council to hold discussions with village leaders on the usage and their responsibilities over airstrips in their villages, with the aim of working closer with the elected councils in the future.”
The ministry said that it is thanking the public for bringing the matter to its attention. It urged continued vigilance.
The matter was reported by Kaieteur News on Tuesday.
The report came after residents of Region One raised safety concerns and questioned who supervised a multimillion-dollar project to rehabilitate a key runway in Region One.
There were clear signs of deterioration on the airstrip, despite the project being only completed a few months ago.
The contract was announced last June by Minister of State, Joseph Harmon, at a Government post-Cabinet press briefing. It was disclosed that two airstrips were chosen – Baramita and Ekereku Bottom, Region Seven.
It was made known that those airstrips were chosen based on several criteria, including the number of flights over the past 10 years, aviation safety for aircraft operation and the number of beneficiaries.
For Ekereku, the contract was awarded to BK International for the sum of $59.1M. The Baramita airstrip project was awarded to M. Ramzan Ally Construction.
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