Harbour bridge to operate under semi-autonomous body
Concerns voiced over higher tolls
Stabroek News
April 15, 2003
Parliament passed a bill yesterday to allow for the establishment of a semi-autonomous body to operate the Demerara Harbour Bridge.
The bill, number 2 of 2003, titled Demerara Harbour Bridge Corporation Bill 2003, was taken through its second and third readings and the committee stage without amendments when parliament was convened at the Ocean View Convention Centre at Liliendaal.
Minister of Transport and Hydraulics Anthony Xavier, who piloted the motion, said that the move to corporatise the bridge’s operations was to ensure the continued viability of the 25-year old structure.
According to the minister, the plan is to allow the management team to have legal, administrative and physical authority to effectively run the entity ensuring its economic viability.
However some opposition to the bill’s passage was mounted by GAP/WPA member of Parliament, Sheila Holder who again expressed concern that such an important piece of legislation was being pushed through parliament without allowing adequate time for study by opposition members.
She expressed the hope that with the soon-to-be established parliamentary management committee such things would be curtailed.
Holder questioned the feasibility of the plan asking where were the studies to underpin this move and why the entity was not being established under the Corporations Act.
She further raised what she said was public suspicions that with the move there would be higher toll charges while querying whether current revenues were adequate for managing the operations.
She recommended that the bill be withdrawn to allow for the appropriate corrections and possibly new drafting to be done.
Minister Xavier said that advice from the Attorney-General’s chambers had been sought and it was held that the corporatisation need not take place under the Corporations Act.
Following this brief debate the house was resolved into committee to examine the bill clause by clause.
With no amendments the bill was then read a third time. (Oscar P. Clarke)
