Prime Minister Samuel Hinds has lauded the initiative taken by Marics and Company Limited to host a seminar on the use and maintenance of the Honda All Terrain Vehicles (ATVs) as they are increasingly being purchased for use in mining areas.
Marics is the only authorised local dealer for Honda vehicles, a press release from the Government Information Agency (GINA) said.
Hinds who is currently performing the role of President, said he accepted the invitation to attend the invitation to emphasise the need to learn about the vehicles in order to help operators make sound safety choices.
“I came also to acknowledge the importance of hinterland development… and to take the opportunity to point to an old adage that ‘large oak trees from small acorns grow’- which means that the large companies that we see today were at some time seedlings themselves…this was the case of John Permaul and Marics,” GINA quoted him as saying.
The prime minister also noted that while Guyana is still in the early stages of development, it has recorded successes. “We are like the old western movies, which showed the Americans going west and the trails that had to be laid… these days things have advanced… we have ATVs instead of horses,” Hinds was quoted as saying.
He then called for more formal training to be held about the use and operation of the ATVs to inform riders about what they should or should not attempt to do with the machines and to help them make sound choices when they encounter difficult terrain. “We have to reduce our relatively high accident rates which bring great cost in pain and suffering, loss of life and materials and equipment…we need to… become good at trouble shooting and maintenance.”
Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Natural Resources and the Environment Joslyn McKenzie, commending Marics on the initiative, stated: “We have quite a difficult task in controlling the establishment of interior roads… with the escalating prices of goods and the demand for transportation we have seen a significant rise in the amount of ATVs being requested in terms of duty and VAT clearance…. On a weekly basis we have seen 15-16 applications…,” he said.
According to McKenzie the Miners’ Association said that owing to the price of gold, operators can easily afford an ATV but accessing service and maintenance are problematic.
“Most times you have to put these ATVs on the back of a truck and bring it to Georgetown just to get a few pistons or rings or something changed… with the improving technology we are actually getting the 2010-2012 models…for a miner, the minute his ATV goes down it significantly affects his operation,” he explained.
According to GINA, McKenzie also noted that it is vital for operators use safety equipment and handle the vehicle properly to prevent injury.
