By Wendella Davidson
A vital piece of drilling equipment to enhance the production capacity at Linden Quarry, Mazaruni River, has been acquired by its parent company- B.K. International Inc.

Purchased in the U.S.A. through Associated Industries Limited (AINLIM), at US $380,000, the drill was yesterday off loaded at the Guyana National Industrial Corporation (GNIC) wharf and is already being transported to the Teperu/Itabu location.

On hand yesterday to witness the off-loading operation were B.K. Inc. Director/Office Manager, Egan Bazilio; Public Relations Officer, Neville Kissoon and Procurement Officer Fizal Jameer.

Kissoon told the Guyana Chronicle that the new equipment will complement another drill with much smaller capacity which is presently being used at the quarry site by the company.

The current production output of varying aggregates of quarrying material inclusive of boulders, crusher run, and under-layers, is about 25, 000 tonnes monthly.

And according to Bazilio, the new equipment will push production well past double the current figure, ultimately resulting in the further lowering of the purchasing price of material by the public.

Over recent years Guyana has been experiencing a boom in the construction industry and as a result there is a huge demand for building material.

Managing Director of B.K. Inc., Brian Tiwarie, well-known locally for his company’s construction of sea defences, utilising the rip rap design, since acquiring Linden Quarry previously known as Itabu Quarry in April 2006, has to date invested millions of dollars towards his goal of making the venture sustainable, notwithstanding previous owners, including the Guyana National Service (GNS) and the privately-owned Mazaruni Granite Products Limited, failing in their attempt.

To this end, Tiwarie has created a vertically integrated system where he produces his own quarrying materials, has his own transportation fleet inclusive of a marine unit complete with barges to alleviate the hassle of movement of materials from the fully-computerised Linden Quarries site.

In November, last year, the company bought 14 brand new engines from Machinery Corporation Limited (MACORP) to replace what was on the company’s tugs and excavators.

Recently, in an unselfish move which benefits many, including farmers of Parika, East Bank Essequibo and Essequibo Islands, Tiwarie had his company dredge the Parika Outfall.

The week-long exercise which saved the government in the vicinity of $35M, allows tugs and barges to now moor alongside a wharf in the vicinity of the outfall, an exercise that previously was virtually impossible.

Tiwarie’s company now off loads sand and stone obtained from the Linden Quarry for his sea defence and other developmental projects on the West Coast of Demerara at the Parika Outfall

This removes the bug-bear of the company having to source the sand from the Soesdyke/ Linden Highway, and lose project execution man-hours waiting to traverse the Demerara Harbour Bridge which has recently instituted specific times for the crossing of heavy-laden vehicles.