CHIEF Executive Officer (CEO) of Barama Company Limited, Mr. Peter Ho, has announced that the company will develop Buck Hall, situated on the main bank of Essequibo River, into a little town in coming years.

Addressing top officials of the Regional Administration of Region Two (Pomeroon/Supenaam) and the media, in the Regional Boardroom at Anna Regina, Essequibo Coast, last Wednesday, he said Buck Hall will forever remain a manufacturing site.

According to Ho, labour is very important for his company and, consequently, many Essequibians will be recruited to work at the thriving Barama sawmilling operations located there.

Chairman of Barama, Mr. Girwar Lalaram, noted that the firm has been providing employment opportunities for Guyanese over the past 15 years.

Currently, 3,000 of them are employed at Land of Canaan, East Bank Demerara, Buck Hall and on the company’s forest concession of four million acres, he said.

Lalaram recalled that Barama operations were moved from Port Kaituma, in North West District, because of the high cost to transport logs from there to Land of Canaan.

He explained that, while the company was operating at Port Kaituma, tremendous work was done in terms of development, with a network of roads (about 2,000 miles) constructed in the interior while the schools and hospitals were refurbished by Barama.

Lalaram said that community, in Region One (Barima/Waini), was given free water and electricity and television was introduced there.

Huge office buildings were erected at Port Kaituma and a bridge over Barima River was built at a cost of US$1.2M, he stated.

Barama Forest Planning Manager, Mr. Mohindra Chand said, when they moved to Buck Hall in 2002, the place was a forested, undeveloped area.

However, over the past five years, a lot of development has taken place, including the building of roads, one of which connects Buck Hall to Port Kaituma, he said.

Chand said roadways are so important to Barama that they can make or break the company’s business.

He said the company started at Buck Hall with one sawmill but is now establishing two more.

Other developments, for the benefit of the 1,000 employees, would be distribution of free electricity, Chand said, adding plans to sink a well and introduce a purified water system and a sports and recreation facility.

He said the Buck Hall venture is family oriented and families will be encouraged to stay there.

A school and Police outpost are also on the cards for Buck Hall, where four massive barges are under construction to transport logs from there to the sawmills, Lalaram disclosed.

Region Two Chairman, Mr. Alli Baksh, said his administration wants to work in a transparent manner with Barama.

Present at the forum also were Region Two Vice-Chairman, Mr. Vishnu Samaroo, Workers’ Welfare Officer, Mr. Maurice Torres and Stakeholder Relations Officer, Ms. Mitzy Campbell.