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Govt. denies wasting tax-payers money on ‘Fip’ Motilall
…Benn says US$5.9M payment was “only for certified works done”
By Gary Eleazar
Minister of Transport and Hydraulics, Robeson Benn, yesterday declared in the National
Makeswhar ‘Fip’ Motilall
Assembly that no taxpayers’ money was wasted on Makeswhar ‘Fip’ Motilall of Synergy Holdings Inc.
Synergy was initially awarded the US$15.4M Amaila Falls Access Road project.
Benn was at the time speaking to the more than $2.3B allocated in the 2012 Budget for the completion of the project ever since the arrangement with Motilall was terminated.
The House yesterday continued its sessions in the Standing Parliamentary Committee of Supply where the legislators scrutinize each of the allocations specifically and in detail.
Benn informed the House that US$5.9 million was paid to Synergy Holdings Inc “for works done.”
It was Moses Nagamootoo, formerly of the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) and now in the Alliance for Change (AFC’s) camp, who in offering a supplementary question to a query made by APNU’s Joe Harmon, suggested that monies were wasted on Motilall by the administration.
The Public Works Minister took umbrage to the statement and proceeded to tell the House that the Contract with Synergy Holdings Inc was terminated for failing to advance the project according to the timelines.
He was speaking to the fact that Motilall had missed at least three deadlines with respect to progress on the critical roadway along with approved extensions.
The Amaila Falls Access road is meant to facilitate the construction of the Amaila Falls Hydro Electric Project and will have to withstand heavy strains to be induced when trekking in the components for the ‘Flagship’ project.
Benn, in defending the payments made to Motilall of Synergy Holdings Inc, said that “the payments made are for works done.”
The Public Works Minister hammered home the point that the payments were for certified works which were qualified by the consultant engineer.
He was at the time referring to SRKN’Gineering which had come in for flak when it was learnt that the company had been approving works for payments to be made to Motilall.
Benn told the House that the administration has since moved to levy against the US$1.5M performance bond held by Hand in Hand.
Responding to Nagamootoo’s query as it relates to what preventative measures are in place to ensure that there isn’t a repeat of the Motilall Fiasco, Benn drew reference to the fact that there is always, with such projects, a 10 per cent performance bond in place to levy against.
Among some of the other estimates to come under scrutiny in the Parliamentary Committee of Supply was that for the airstrip on the island of Wakenaam.
Benn defended this project saying that the monies listed were for continued servicing of the facility and that the airstrip was not slated for regular commercial flights.
He did explain, however, that among the considerations for the airstrip was “security” which for good reason could not be expanded on in the House.
Fuel for the two ferries gifted to Guyana from China to the tune of $125M also came under scrutiny when the House was also informed by the Minster that the $15M being spent for the ticketing system at Parika and Supenaam will be completed within a matter of weeks.
On the issue of subsidies for the Transport and Harbours division Volda Lawrence also sought to find out when the most recent audited report was completed and sought clarification also on the outstanding documents.
Benn informed the House that the most recent report available is that for 2003 and that the remaining reports will be completed this year.
No cuts were proposed for the Ministry of Public Works and the estimates allocated for that Budget Agency’s current and capital expenditures were approved unaltered.
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