Linden to Bartica trail was left in a deplorable state for months- Mayor, trucker

Jul 12, 2021 News

– Maintenance contractor blames rain
Kaieteur News- Truckers and the Mayor of Bartica, Region Seven, Gifford Marshall have noted that the Linden to Bartica trail was left in a deplorable state for months, thereby affecting the supply of essential goods to the town and the various mining areas.
The maintenance contract for the road which stretches some 30 kilometers from Linden, Region Ten to Bartica, Region Seven, was awarded to Association Construction Services (ACS). ACS signed the contract this year with the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC) which falls under the Ministry of Natural Resources.
A trucker, the Bartica Mayor and a representative of Troy Resources, an Australian mining company, have related that before the works began the road was almost impassable.
They related that it was left in that state for almost four months.
The trucker, Bharrat Nandlall, said that he fetches logs from 72 Village to Omai. When the trail is in good condition, explained Nandlall, a trip takes only two and a half hours.
Due to the state that the road was in, the trucker related that it took him four hours to make the same trip.
He pointed out that there are locations along the road that are horrendous and described them as huge ponds. The trucker said a number of other trucks would get stuck in the ponds and one would have to wait hours for more trucks and tractors to pull those vehicles out.

Photos taken six weeks ago of the Linden to Bartica trail

In fact, Nandlall told this newspaper that his truck has been left stranded for a month now and he is currently brainstorming a way to get it out because he has workers depending on him.
A representative of Troy Resources detailed too that his company could not get trucks in with essential supplies. As a result, the representative explained that measures had to be taken to get those essential supplies on a plane. This move, he said, drove up the cost to get the supplies needed for the company’s operation.
He noted that the condition has improved recently but supplies are arriving at a reduced capacity since works are ongoing. The Bartica business community echoed this sentiment too.
Marshall, the Mayor of the Bartica, shared his own experience as well. He said that in a pick-up, it would take a little over two hours to enter Bartica.
However, during a recent trip to Linden and back, it took him hours. The Mayor recalled that he had left around 14:00hrs and returned around midnight.
Marshall said that in previous years, the trail has never reached that stage and pointed out that questions were raised about the contractor responsible for the maintenance of the road.
He highlighted that some wanted to know if ACS is capable of carrying out the maintenance works. Others, he said, questioned whether or not ACS might be slacking on its duties.
The Mayor had written to the government on behalf of his town requesting an intervention. Though he did not receive a formal response, works on the road had started and Marshall said that he has received reports that it is in a fairly good condition again.
He along with the authorities from Linden, Region 10 is planning to make a site visit soon to inspect the ongoing maintenance works.
Meanwhile, Kaieteur News had reached out to ACS for a comment. Its managing Director, Peter Lewis said that his company had only signed the road maintenance contract some three months back.
The trail Lewis stated was in a deplorable state before the company commenced work. For the first month he noted, ACS had to use its machines to pull out trucks that were stranded along the road. When it began to carry out the maintenance works, the rainy weather proved to be a major setback.
Lewis further noted that only a few sections of the road are bad while adding that the problem lies at two hills located along the trail. He related that GGMC is currently creating new designs for the hills in order to remedy the situation.
Currently, the company representative said three graders are working on the trail and a fourth is to enter sometime soon. Lewis did not disclose how much his company is being paid for the maintenance works but noted that it is a one-year contract with GGMC.
The Managing Director said he would prefer that GGMC reveals the cost of the contract along with answers to any other queries.
Kaieteur News contacted GGMC yesterday on the said matter but was referred to the Ministry of Natural Resources.
This newspaper also tried contacting the Minister of Natural Resources, Vickram Bharrat but his phone rang out.
Messages to his WhatsApp account were also left unanswered.
The Linden to Bartica trail was previously maintained by Mekdeci Mining Company (MMC).
A representative told this newspaper that the company was not granted the road maintenance contract for the last two years.