$5m Repair Bill
A section of the Harbour Bridge submerged in the Demerara River (above left). No one can say when repairs would be fully completed, but up to yesterday fishing trawlers and larger vessels were allowed passage through the 10-year-old structure built at a cost of $37m in 1978.
Reports state that a bus with schoolchildren stopped just in time as two supporting floats of the bridge began to sink. The bus was travelling to Georgetown from the West Demerara.
Reports also indicate that half of the 800 pontoons supporting the bridge need replacing but officials could not say when this would be done. In the meantime, Transport and Harbours vessels, along with several small private operators are ferrying passengers across the river. The overall restoration costs has been put at G$5m. Passengers flock the Georgetown Ferry stelling (above) awaiting transportation to the West Demerara.
Trisco Foods And Caribanks…
Latest Additions To The Banks (DIH) Empire
BANKS DIH (D’Aguiar’s Industries and Holdings Limited), will be breaking new ground, when it holds it’s 32nd annual shareholders meeting later this month.
For the first time in the company’s history, the Head of Government will be taking part in an annual meeting of Banks DIH, which takes place at Thirst Park.
Prime Minister Hamilton Green will also be present at the meeting.
President Hoyte is scheduled to address shareholders, to mark the opening of Trisco Foods and Caribanks, two new additions to the multimillion dollar company.
The company now has four divisions, Demico, Beverage, Trisco Foods and Caribanks Shipping.
The new division of Trisco Foods is expected to be in operation by the end of this month.
The raw materials for the Snack Food plant, which include rice, cassava and plantains, are to be transported from several parts of the country by two vessels recently acquired by the company.
Banks DIH Ltd has also taken over the Cassava flour mill at Lookout, on the East Bank Essequibo from the government at the cost of $900,000.
Banks DIH Ltd plans to acquire two more vessels and to develop a cargo service of two types inter-coastal and inter-Caribbean.
The cost of the Trisco Foods project is estimated to be nearly $22,000,000. The products to be manufactured by the new company, are Biscuits, Snack Foods and Breakfast Cereals.
Shareholders are expected to approve a final dividend of 16 per cent as recommended by the directors.
This is in addition to an interim dividend of 14 per cent previously declared.
The Bay Cleans Up
A total of 52 families in the “Tiger Bay” area has formed a group called “The Tiger Bay Housing Group”
Group treasurer, Alfred Stanley said that the first exercise the group carried out is the voluntary clean up of their environment. He explained that this exercise was started for ‘‘Mash” as the area has been neglected for some time and rubbish was piled up all about the street and yards.
Stanley said that the tools used were lent to them by the City Council through Deputy Mayor Compton Young. He disclosed that the City Council has plans to engage the housing group as the area’s cleaning agent and pay them.
Stanley added that “Tiger Bay Housing Group” has, as a goal the acquisition of the houses in the area and upgrading them.
L.J