Min. Bharrat inspects Soesdyke Forestry Station

—Ituni and Kwakwani Forestry Stations to be checked later today

—Meeting with RUSAL workers also scheduled

Earlier this morning, Minister of Natural Resources, Hon. Vickram Bharrat, along with a team from the Guyana Forestry Commission (GFC), visited the Soesdyke Forestry Commission to conduct inspections.

The checks were led by the GFC’s Forestry Commissioner, Gavin Agard, and Soesdyke Forestry Station’s Supervisor, Leroy Wilson.  The Minister shared his early impression of the operations at the Forestry Station with DPI.

“From my observations, there is a good system in place at the Soesdyke Forestry Station in terms of checks and balances because that feeds into the main database for forestry, but like all systems, there is still room for improvement,” Minister Bharrat stated.

The Natural Resources Minister will be checking to ensure systems are in place at the forestry stations to prevent illegal logging, and thus preventing the loss of revenue, and availability of land space for trucks to traverse easily, and essentially preventing trafficking jams in Linden

Minister of Natural Resources, Hon. Vickram Bharrat looks on a as an employee of the Soesdyke Forestry Station sows how the logs are verified and tagged

Minister of Natural Resources, Hon. Vickram Bharrat and team conducting inspections at the Soesdyke Forestry Station, accompanied by Forestry Commissioner Mr. Gavin Agard (with spectacles) and Supervisor of the station, Mr. Leroy Wilson (in safety vest)

Minister of Natural Resources, Hon. Vickram Bharrat and team conducting inspections at the Soesdyke Forestry Station, accompanied by Forestry Commissioner Mr. Gavin Agard (with spectacles) and Supervisor of the station, Mr. Leroy Wilson (in safety vest)

Minister of Natural Resources, Hon. Vickram Bharrat and team conducting inspections at the Soesdyke Forestry Station, accompanied by Forestry Commissioner Mr. Gavin Agard (with spectacles) and Supervisor of the station, Mr. Leroy Wilson (in safety vest)

Minister of Natural Resources, Hon. Vickram Bharrat and team conducting inspections at the Soesdyke Forestry Station, accompanied by Forestry Commissioner Mr. Gavin Agard (with spectacles) and Supervisor of the station, Mr. Leroy Wilson (in safety vest)

Minister of Natural Resources, Hon. Vickram Bharrat and Supervisor of Soesdyke Forest Station, Leroy Wilson during an inspection at the facility’s office on Friday morning

GFC’s Forestry Commissioner, who was named the new interim chief of the GFC in January 2020, Mr. Gavin Agard, described Minister Bharrat’s intervention as significant.

“Minister Bharrat’s visit was very important for policy and decision-makers to have an operational and on-the-ground-feel of the realities that the officers and operators in the sector experience,” Agard explained.

Minister Bharrat and his team will be visiting forestry stations located in Ituni and Kwakwani for more inspections. He is also scheduled to meet with the Hururu Village Council.

Also, on the Minister’s itinerary is a meeting with the employees who were laid off by the Bauxite Company of Guyana Incorporated (BCGI)/RUSAL in February 2020. Minister Bharrat disclosed that he will be collaborating with the Minister of Labour, Hon. Joseph Hamilton, to address the workers concerns and resume operations at the bauxite company as soon as possible.