GRA to meet with ‘backtrack’ boat services operators this week

The Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) will this week meet with the owners of the boat services operating the backtrack route from Corriverton to Suriname.

On Saturday morning, the Golden Gloves Backtrack Service at Lot 7B, No. 78 Village, along with the nearby Eno Bharat Boat Service and K.N.S. Boat Service, were instructed to immediately halt operations while transporting passengers to Suriname. However, by Sunday afternoon, Golden Gloves and Eno Bharat said they received approval to resume their services.

According to owner of Golden Gloves Backtrack Service, Mohamed Mursaline, GRA officer in Corriverton, Winston Manifold, gave them the approval to resume operations.

Mursaline added that a meeting with GRA officials is scheduled for Wednesday in Georgetown.

“I expect that we get full rights to operate. We have to be respected too because we have been doing this work for many years, and we employ a lot of people who are hoping for a positive outcome,” Mursaline said.

In a statement, the GRA explained that after reviewing the operations, it was determined that the locations being used are not recognised as approved ports of entry or sufferance wharves. As such, vessels are not permitted to load or offload goods or baggage at those locations without authorisation from a Customs Officer.

Meanwhile, Mursaline, who took over the family-owned business that has been operating for 75 years, noted that significant investments have been made to improve the service, including the installation of washroom facilities, checkpoints, walkways, and regular boat maintenance.

He also pointed out that although the business is registered in Suriname, repeated attempts to register it in Guyana have been unsuccessful.

According to Mursaline, many local residents and businesses depend heavily on the backtrack boat services for transportation between Guyana and Suriname.