Thrust briefly into the spotlight in the aftermath of the Bartica massacre when Joint Services ranks were forced to divert an emergency landing, the Bartica Airstrip remains in disuse and there seems to be no moves for its upgrade and reactivation.
Stabroek News has learnt that construction company BK International, which has operations in the area, has offered to undertake repairs and fix the airstrip free of cost. But the proposal is still being examined, Minister of Public Works Robeson Benn told Stabroek News. He would not say when a decision would be made or whether it is being looked at favourably. Stabroek News understands that the construction company had sent the letter containing the proposal since July and it was sent to several government ministries, as well as the Prime Minister’s Office.
The airstrip, located in the Region Seven (Cuyuni/ Mazaruni) community, is one of several in the hinterland that are not regularly used.
At the time of the February 17 massacre, the deplorable condition of the access road leading to the airstrip was said to be the reason for not using it as a landing zone. However, it was not until protests by residents in the early part of last month that a contract for the rehabilitation of the 4 Miles, Bartica-Potaro road was awarded after tenders were invited a few months before. Work on the road was slated to begin earlier last week. According to information, the contract is for One Mile to Four Miles and it is not expected to reach up to the airstrip. Currently, contractors are doing drainage work.
Although a decision on the renovation of the airstrip is yet to be made, Bartica residents and businesses are clamouring for it to be upgraded and utilized. During a recent visit to the community by this newspaper, they outlined several reasons, including the need for better security for business-persons as well as for use during medical emergencies.
Persons within the local aviation sector told Stabroek News that while the airstrip is “landable”- meaning that planes could land there — it would be better to land at either Cow Island or Baganara because of “security reasons” created by the remoteness of the strip. Currently, there are no scheduled flights to the airstrip, which is about five miles away from the community in a secluded part of the forest. is not fenced.
But persons within the community believe that it is time for the airstrip to be upgraded and utilized. “It seems to be a sort of a missing link,” Regional Chairman Holbert Knights said, while noting the rising status of the community, which has been labelled the gateway to the interior. He argued that since the massacre it has been made clear that the airstrip needs to be refurbished and added that the cost is not likely to be monumental. He noted that the airstrip has been in its present state for quite some, although it had been one of the most active in Guyana in the past.
Knights declared that Bartica has one of the fastest growing economies in the country and businessmen need the type of security an airstrip would provide. He noted that despite the Guyana Gold Board’s location in the community, it travels to Baganara for flights. “I think they too will have a vested interest in getting the airstrip fixed,” he stated.
Knights pointed out that during medical emergencies, patients are presently transported through the river, often in rough waters. He said the airstrip would provide a much better alternative and would be faster. He believed that the airstrip’s fall into disuse is a “retrograde” step, especially since the aircraft industry has expanded tremendously, and the tourism industry is lifting off. He said security is at stake and with a growing economy and high gold prices “a lot of business persons would welcome that sense of security.”
According to one businessman, who runs a large operation in the community, the airstrip needs to be revamped. He said that once it is in use it would be faster and more efficient for persons to get to Georgetown as well as other interior locations. He echoed Knights’ sentiment, that a viable airstrip would boost tourism in the area and cited the need for a functioning airstrip for use in transporting seriously-ill persons during medical emergencies. The businessman also stressed that there should be a security presence there, once the airstrip is restored.
Meanwhile, residents recalled that in the recent past local speedsters used the airstrip as a racetrack, though this practice has since halted. They also made mention of strange planes landing at the airstrip. In December 1998 a damaged aircraft was found there-and they recalled that it had been a while since there had been any regularly scheduled flights.
Earlier this year, a local aviation official said that only around 70 of approximately 200 airstrips across the country are in use and many of them are in need of repairs.
