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E.B.D. highway…works stall as GT&T, BK clash
A contractor on a key piece of the East Bank Demerara four-lane highway extension has clashed again with one of the country’s telephone companies over excavations works.
Workers of GT&T planting a new pole in the center of a new carriageway, halting construction on a significant section of the East Bank Four- Lane Extension Project.
According to the Guyana Telephone and Telegraph Company (GT&T) the most recent cable damage occurred yesterday during works by B.K International Inc., just outside the DDL compound on the East Bank of Demerara.
“This resulted in disruption to GT&T and thousands of its customers as far away as West Bank and West Coast of Demerara, East Bank Essequibo and the Essequibo Coast.”
Road construction along the East Bank Demerara has caused more than 10 disruptions, since 2011, to telephone service, the Guyana Telephone and Telegraph Company (GT&T) said.
However, the contractor, BK International, in its own statement, said that the trouble all started when an old GT&T pole fell while employees were working on the new carriageway.
The company said that GT&T workers planted a new pole in the center of the new carriageway, effectively halting construction on a significant section of the extension project- the area between the Diamond Intersection and the Diamond DSL Supermarket.
“BK International crews were working on the new carriageway today when an old GT&T pole collapsed. No BK employee was injured as a result of the collapse but some telephone services on the East Bank were reportedly disrupted. When GT&T crews responded, workers from BK International rendered assistance to pull up the ruptured buried cable.”
BK said that the telephone company in February this year had committed to the relocation of its aerial cables and associated fixtures to a new pole route and to relocate buried cables in this area.
“However, when the pole fell today it was revealed that the cables remained buried under the active construction area.”
The contractor said that it was GT&T itself in a press release dated May 22, 2014 that disclosed that it had signed a contract in February to relocate aerial cables and associated fixtures to a new pole route and to relocate the buried cables. GT&T had said then that it was scheduled to commence works during the week of May 25th, 2014.
“BK International again calls on the Ministry of Public Works to push GT&T to keep their commitment to relocate the buried cables and to reroute the aerial cables so that the road works can proceed to completion.”
GT&T in its own statement yesterday said that “The consequential damage to the company’s network infrastructure, especially our buried cables, is disruptive to our business, costs millions to restore, inconveniences our customers, undermines revenue generation, and can potentially compromise national security.”
Workers of GT&T prepare to plant the new pole in the center of the carriageway.
The disruptions, mainly by contractors and other persons involved in the execution of civil works, inadvertently, are sometimes because the parties refuse to call before they commence excavations.
“Over recent months, several of our business customers who rely on our data service to transmit and receive “mission critical” data and information have been severely affected by service disruptions consequent upon excavation works by contractors and others who failed to ask us whether buried cable was in the vicinity of the excavation site.”
The businesses included Guyana Bank for Trade and Industry, Republic Bank, Courts (Guyana) Ltd., Guyana Police Force, Demerara Distillers Limited, Guyana/Trinidad Mutual and Diamond Diagnostic Centre, among others.
Another fibre optic cable damage detected yesterday along the Soesdyke/Linden Highway resulted in the disruption of telephone service to numerous communities in Linden as well as Ituni, Kwakwani, Mahdia and Mabura.
“GT&T wishes to place on record the severe negative impacts that this cable damage continues to have on the company and its customers, including the diversion of our finite technical and material resources away from our planned expansion programme works and routine installation and maintenance activities.”
The telephone company said that the situation is not tenable, especially since it is compounded by acts of apparent sabotage and willful vandalism of the network.
“GT&T has an obligation to protect the integrity of the National Communications Infrastructure, but we need the cooperation and assistance of all Guyana if we are to succeed.”
The company urged for contractors to consult first before conducting excavation works.
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