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CHEC to design US$2.7M CJIA car-park

Sep 19, 2013 News

…APNU wants Govt. to compensate displaced residents  

There are still more stunning revelations being made in relation to the controversial contract that Guyana inked with China Harbour Engineering Company (CHEC) for the Expansion of the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA).
Under the contract, the Chinese contractor will design the car-park for the new airport, but it is the Guyana Government that will have to foot the bill for its construction.
This publication has been informed that the estimated price for the construction of the car-park is US$2.7M and will be sourced from the Consolidated Fund, should the political opposition approve its expenditure.
This past week, A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) criticized the manner with which the airport project has been conceived and is being executed.
Shadow Minister with responsibility for Public Works, Joseph Harmon, called for a seminar to be held in order for stakeholders to be fully informed about the details of the project.
Harmon had also called for Government to have a more even handed approach when it comes to the relocation of the more than 300 residents in the surrounding areas. These people will have to be displaced as a result of the expansion.
According to Harmon this is a standard practice required by institutions such as the Inter American Development Bank (IDB).
He said that just as how the Guyana Government paid $100M to the persons that had to be removed in order to accommodate the construction of the Berbice River Bridge, the same should be done for those located in the environs of the airport.
He said too that the terms and conditions of the contract for the Expansion of CJIA are not in the best interest of Guyanese.
Only recently this publication reported that in addition to the half a million dollar toilets that the administration agreed to, government also agreed to take on the responsibility for any defects incurred by the Chinese during construction.
Financial Analyst, Ramon Gaskin, in his perusal of the contract had unearthed the startling amendment made by government to international standards.
Those standards dictate that “the contractor shall give all notices, pay all taxes, duties and fees, and obtain all permits, licences and approvals, as required by the Laws in relation to the design, execution and completion of the works and the remedying of any defects. The Contractor shall indemnify and hold the Employer harmless against and from the consequences of any failure to do.”
Gaskin has since pointed out that this clause/condition was amended dramatically and incomprehensibly.
The Guyana Government agreed that the word “Contractor” be changed to “Employer” (ie government) and conversely where the word employer appears, it is replaced by contractor.
According to Gaskin, the effect of this amendment is to transfer from the contractor to the government, the responsibilities, which the international best practice standard, imposes on the contractor.
Under the contract inked with the Chinese Contractor, even where notices and expenses are incurred in remedying defects caused by the contractors, the government is required, by contract to deal with this.
“This is not only unbelievable but reckless, irresponsible and insane…It is elementary and logical that any contractor is responsible for remedying defective work done by him.”
Gaskin in summarizing the amendment made said that, “we will take the responsibility to pay for any defective work, even if the lifts do not work, the roof collapses or each half-a-million toilet does not flush!”

 

 

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