Despite the chaos that ensued after the Demerara Harbour Bridge was made temporarily inoperable, the Guyana Post Office Corporation (GPO)
managed to make monies available to senior citizens in the West Demerara area yesterday.
The accident coincided with the first Monday of the month, a time when senior citizens receive their pensions. Many turned up at the various post offices in their respective communities/districts to uplift what was not there, because the closure of the bridge had affected the transfer of funds, the Guyana Standard was told.
The corporation had initially issued a statement hours after the incident, advising “all customers on the West Bank and West Coast of the Demerara that there was going to be a delay in pension payments…This is due to the closure of the Demerara Harbour Bridge.”
However, according to GPO’s Public Relations Officer (PRO), Thalissa McClure, the corporation was still able to get the necessary funds to the various post offices in the abovementioned areas using “alternative methods”.
The communication official further stated that upon learning of the incident, the GPO began initiating the necessary protocols to ensure that the funds were made available to customers.
McClure told the Guyana Standard that GPO was able to devise a plan and by midday of yesterday funds were made available to the post offices, where pensioners were able to uplift their monies. Those unnamed methods were also used to provide additional funds today, she said.
Pensioners who spoke to the Guyana Standard said that they were able to uplift their monies after 12 pm yesterday and that the opening hours for post offices on West Demerara were extended. This was corroborated by McClure, who said that the extension is to allow pensioners that were affected on Monday, to have ample time to return to their respective village offices to uplift their monies.
The bridge was reopened to facilitate light vehicular traffic at 2 pm today; four hours earlier than previously projected by bridge officials.
