The country’s power company is set to lower its electricity rates by 10 per cent from next month, PresidentPresident Donald RamotarDonald Ramotar has announced.The announcement came yesterday from the Head of State as he commissioned the multi-billion new 26-megawatts power station of the Guyana Power and Light Inc. (GPL) at Vreed-en-Hoop, West Bank Demerara.“GPL has projected that based on fuel prices it will be able to implement a 10 per cent reduction in electricity costs across the board,wholesale nfl jerseys, starting with the consumption of electricity in March,” he said.GPL is likely to call a press conference as early as today to unveil the details.According to the President, the planned reduction of GPL rates will follow another move by Government to drop the tax on gas prices by 30 per cent after oil prices on the world market fell sharply by about 50 percent. The idea was to ensure savings are passed on the consumers.? Savings will see more disposal income being available to consumers, he said.The President also criticized transportation providers for not adjusting their fares.“I do hope that those in the transportation sector will take a leaf out of the government’s book and also pass on this benefit to the consumers and people of Guyana.”Yesterday, the Private Sector Commission (PSC) said that it welcomes the announcement by the President.“The cost of electricity has long been one of the major stumbling blocks to the expansion of industry and the competitiveness of Guyana’s exports.? This move will provide relief not only to businesses but to individual consumers who have struggled with high electricity costs.”The business body said that since the reduction in electricity costs will contribute to a reduction in production costs of both manufacturers and service providers, the Commission would also like to see the cost of other energy-dependent goods and services going down.“It is therefore calling on its members to pass any reductions on to their customers. The Private Sector Commission would like to urge the purveyors of public transportation services to follow suit and reduce the cost of their services so that commuters can benefit from the drop in the price of fuel.”Meanwhile, the Guyana Manufacturing and Services Association (GM&SA) Ltd, said that it is relieved that the government has made the decision to reduce electricity rates.“President Donald Ramotar’s announcement (yesterday) will certainly be welcomed by Guyana’s manufacturers, service providers, commercial entrepreneurs,Cheap Jerseys From China Online, exporters and every other category of business owner.”The announcement,Cheap NFL Jerseys China, GMSA said, is the first step towards significantly alleviating the high overhead costs for production and distribution of products made locally.“Electrical energy is,Cheap Jerseys, without doubt, the most significant input into most, if not all, production processes.? Guyana’s large and small scale producers and exporters have long indicated that the prices for their products have made them (products) uncompetitive in the export market, a situation which has been attributed to high energy charges.“Inevitably this situation led to some contraction in the manufacturing sector.”GMSA said it anticipates that the imminent reduction in electricity charges would spur industrial growth across all sectors, encourage diversification and birth new enterprises.“We have been watching closely the world’s responses to the dramatic fall in global fuel prices and we did anticipate that our manufacturers and the business community at large would begin to benefit sooner rather than later.? In the same context,Wholesale Jerseys China, we anticipate that the costs for raw materials, transportation and related factors of production would simultaneously decrease.”

BRIGHTON VILLAGE , CORENTYNE – Police in Berbice yesterday launched an investigation into the death of 66-year-old Harold Captain,Wholesale China Jerseys, also known as ‘Baby’, of 13 Brighton Village on the Corentyne.The man was on trial at the Supreme Court in New Amsterdam for having carnal knowledge of a girl below the age of 13.According to police reports, about 06:00 hours yesterday Captain’s lifeless body was found suspended from a genip tree at the back of his yard.The discovery was made by his daughter,Authentic Adidas Hockey Jerseys China, Natasha Captain, who lives on the flat above her father. A piece of polythene rope was tied around a branch and attached to his neck.Police subsequently removed the body. It is now at the Skeldon Hospital Mortuary awaiting a post mortem examination.Last week, Justice Winston Patterson, who is presiding at the New Amsterdam Supreme Court, postponed the beginning of the case,Wholesale Hockey Jerseys, to this week due to the absence of the defense Attorney Rodwell Jagmohan.The case against Harold Captain was that on October 5, 2004, he had carnal knowledge of a girl who was at the time ten years old.The victim lived about four houses from him. She is now 15 years old and has since re-located to Georgetown.At the Magistrate’s Court level, the man was placed on $200,Cheap Basketball Jerseys China,000 on December 15,Wholesale Jerseys China, 2004 after being committed to stand trial in the High Court.On Tuesday, the accused was arraigned at the New Amsterdam Supreme Court,Wholesale Authentic Jerseys, he pleaded not guilty, and the jury was empanelled.Fabayo Azore is prosecuting the matter for the State. The virtual complainant took the witness stand and was also examined by the state. She was scheduled to be cross examined yesterday.On Tuesday, the defendant appeared to be normal. At that time he was said to be clad in a pair of black trousers, a white shirt with long sleeves and a blue tie.Yesterday, persons for the State turned up at the New Amsterdam High Court all set to continue the matter, but none of his relatives were present.Moments later police confirmed the man’s suicide.

By Malisa HarryThe recent initiative by the new administration to reduce the Berbice Bridge Toll is at a standstill, with the Berbice Bridge Company including shareholders still to have their input in the reduction. The contractual agreement allows Hand in Hand Trust and New GPC to own fifty percent of the entity when their investments are only five percent. Equity shareholders whose investments are five percent ($400 million) of the total funds of the company are given controlling interest in the company. Against this backdrop, Berbicians shared their views on this issue. These are some of their responses.Bill, New Amsterdam· Bill,Cheap Nike NFL Jerseys, New Amsterdam – “It is not good for the country. The government should haveMohabir, gold dealercontinuous negotiations and the shareholders along with the government should come to a compromise to alleviate the situation as it is”· Murray, businessman – “It was an agreement with the previous government and investors but what I can tell you is that at that time the people were badly in need of a bridge and so the government try and do anything to make the bridge”· Mohabir, gold dealer- “That bridge apparently belong to the PPP. It’s too hard and it’s too much to deal with as a citizen. They already had a deal but here is what we could do, give them the bridge and take revenue from them and let us get our own boat on the water top”.Ishmail KingGobin, vendor· Gobin, vendor – “The government can make their own fee, but now they can’t interfere with the bridge because is a binding agreement, the only thing the government can do is nationalize the bridge and let the government pay off the company and let the government run it.”· Mark Johnson – “It seems like the shareholders are only looking after their own interest and their financial gain. I think they should try to come to a compromise and reduce the crossing of the bridge. It could happen,Wholesale China Jerseys, depends on the shareholders interest of the country.”· Ishmail King, entrepreneur – “I feel that decision that was made,Cheap NFL Jerseys, the government just try to please the people because of the election promise that they made but if the decision cannot come through because of the private companies, I think what the government needs to do is to bring back the boat so it will be a competition with these shareholders who got big shares at the bridge company. The bridge should have been owned by the government; so if the government can’t rectify it with the shareholders,Wholesale Jerseys China, put back the two boat to cross the river, so people can use the boat to pay a cheaper fair rather than paying such an expensive fee on the bridge.”Mark, self employedMurray,nfl jerseys authentic china, businessman·? Mark,Cheap Jerseys From China, self employed – “The poor people are feeling the pressure because everybody that has to cross that bridge will have to pay exorbitant prices just to move from point A to point B. If the government who is in position now said that they are going to lower that bridge toll at $300 or $400, that would have been an ease enough for the poor people who have to cross everyday with their schoolchildren to go to school. And as to the government who was in position before, I figure as a normal Guyanese that they sell out the bridge, and that’s wrong because if it was a subsidy, in five years time that subsidy would have been paid off. No part of the world I travel as a seaman I never paid more than US $10, why we gotta pay a $4000 or $3000 to cross a bridge, just a couple of miles from way we living? The first government sell out the bridge and the Guyanese people that is why poor people got to face all this pressure.”Mark Johnson