Guyoil halts credit arrangement with Region 6 Admin

…regional vehicles grounded
Vehicles attached to various Government departments in Region Six (East Berbice/Corentyne) have been grounded by a lack of fuel.
Region Six Vice Chairman Dennis DeRoop explained that the administration has been recalcitrant in paying for fuel supplied, and the supplier has consequently pulled the plug.

“There is no fuel shortage, but Guyoil has stopped giving (Region 6) now because they have a big outstanding bill. This started to happen last year, and the oil company (stopped supplying) fuel; so all the important work has stopped (because) the engineers cannot go out in the fields…,” De Roop explained.
He, however, noted that Guyoil continues to issue fuel to ambulances attached to Government hospitals.
According to DeRoop, the administration has money to purchase fuel from Guyoil, but under the current arrangement, the fuel is supplied and then billed for, before payments are made.
DeRoop explained that the administration is given a month’s holdover, and is expected to make payments for fuel in a timely manner; but has failed to so do, resulting in the company withholding issuance of fuel.
However, while some departments are made to suffer as a result of what the vice chairman calls negligence, some Government vehicles have been exempted from that type of treatment.
“We continue to see this negligence from top to bottom, and incompetence of persons put in a position to do a job. At the top level, we are seeing it; at the regional level, we are seeing it; all over, you are seeing the incompetence. They just don’t have the right people to do the job, and residents are suffering because of this,” the Vice Chairman said.
He said this situation evolved last year when the fuel company refused to supply fuel until paid. He noted that January 2018 payment is outstanding; that should have been taken care of in February.
“We have money budgeted, and it is just to do the transaction in a timely manner. I never experienced (this situation) prior to 2015. We had some issues last year, and the ambulances were given fuel even though the bill was not paid. The REO [Regional Executive Officer] sees it fit to focus on other things, when this is so important,” De Roop declared.
The Vice Chairman noted that the David G buses will also be affected, forcing hundreds of children who depend on the school bus to find alternative ways to get to and from school.