GEORGETOWN: India pledges increased collaboration with Guyana

GEORGETOWN: Guyana has long shared a close
relationship with India, and on Wednesday, Indian High Commissioner Dr KJ
Srinivasa touted increased collaboration between the two countries on a number
of key issues, including the COVID-19 pandemic.
The High Commissioner was at the time delivering remarks during a ceremony to
formalise the Indian-owned Bank of Baroda’s status as a mortgage lender.

Hinting cryptically at an
upcoming announcement next week that would further cement bilateral ties, he
made it clear that India stands ready to help Guyana in its push for
development.

“I believe that the collaboration
between India and Guyana is in such a phase where we both understand each
other, we both respond to each other’s concerns, and we’re ready and willing to
work with Guyana in its development,” he said.

“You would have seen recently
(that) we donated about 80,000 vaccines to the Guyanese people. This is just a
part of our vaccine friendship that the Government of India has undertaken
across the world.

We continue to work with the
Government of Guyana, helping them to procure more vaccines.”
Besides the vaccines, the High Commissioner recalled other instances in which
assistance was provided to Guyana. And he touted another area where India could
be of assistance to Guyana – financial management.

“Last year we were able to donate
US$1 M to help them with COVID infrastructure. They got about 35 ventilators
from India. These are things that go a long way into cementing our
relationship,” the Indian High Commissioner said.

“And I want to stress that this
occasion will lay the scene for further collaboration in the financial sector,
and I can strongly emphasise here that the expertise that financial
institutions in India have in dealing with such matters will be very helpful.
We can share best practices with the Bank of Guyana or the Finance Ministry.

Guyana and India, which
established bilateral relations in 1966 following Guyana’s Independence, have
strong diplomatic and economic ties that are bolstered by several high-level
deals brokered through India’s diplomatic presence in Guyana.
One such project is the Ogle-Diamond bypass road project, which will see
construction of a total of 26 kilometres of road linking two of the country’s
main thoroughfares.

This new road link will also be
connected to key communities in Georgetown and along the East Bank of Demerara.
These include Diamond, Mocha and Eccles – all on the East Bank – and Aubrey
Barker Road in Georgetown. These connections will prove crucial in diverting
traffic.

And it was only in January that
the governments of Guyana and India signed a US$12.7 million contract for construction
of a spanking new ocean-going passenger and cargo vessel to ply the North-West
District-Georgetown route. This is part of a US$18 million project being funded
by the Indian Government through a US$8 million grant and US$10 million Line of
Credit (LOC).

Public Works Minister Juan
Edghill had reminded that former President Donald Ramotar had, under the last
PPP/C Administration, secured funding from the Indian Government for the
vessel, but no significant progress had been made in the last five years.

“The money for the ferry was
available. We came back to office five years later, no contract was awarded and
signed, no ferry was built, and the monies (were) still available,” Minister
Edghill had asserted.

It has been noted that the US$12.7 million will be disbursed in three tranches
to the contractor, GRES. An advanced payment of 20 per cent of the contract
sum; that is, US$2,253,601, will be paid in the coming days; and then 40 per
cent – amounting to US$5,239,901 – will be released later this year at various
construction milestone dates.

It was further explained that the
final sum of the remaining 40 per cent will be disbursed in 2022 after the
installation of the main engines and steering systems, and upon receipt and
acceptance of the vessel.