Nickerie District Commissioner, Bhagwatpersad Shankar has grounded four Surinamese boats operating a ferry service between Guyana via the `backtrack’ route at Corriverton.
However, two Guyanese operators, Eno Bharrat and Roy Ramdass said that they have not been affected by the ban which was imposed last week. According to a report in the Suriname de Ware Tijd newspaper, the four boat owners are annoyed over the grounding of their boats. DWT said that at the beginning of last week Shankar decided to chain the vessels.
The motive behind the ban is unclear, but DWT said that it would appear that the owners had not been complying with regulations.
Twice last year Suriname closed down the `backtrack’ route which facilitates the movement of uncustomed goods and criminals across the border river. Contacted last evening both Ramdass and Bharrat said that their vessels had been operating without any stoppage for the past several months.
The owners are aware of the ban of the boats on the Suriname side of the border but do not know the reason for it.
