US$150M CJIA Renovation…Jagdeo takes some blame for omitting office area in initial airport plan- Says Patterson will not show project designs

May 10, 2019 News

Leader of the Opposition, Bharrat Jagdeo

Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo, has accepted some blame for the omission of key facilities from the original Cheddi Jagan International airport (CJIA) renovation.
During a press conference yesterday, he responded to a report by Kaieteur News that vital facilities were excluded from the original airport plan, which his government signed onto.
US$150M was put aside for works to be done on the Cheddi Jagan International Airport Corporation (CJIA). But despite so much money going into that project, CJIAC is now looking to build a cargo facility, a commercial centre, an office area and a parking lot, separately.
“I can accept the criticism that maybe we didn’t put in some office space for airlines at the airport,” Jagdeo said yesterday.
Asked why those facilities were excluded, he said that the idea was for those things to be excluded so that local contractors could bid for and build them.

Minister of Public Infrastructure, David Patterson

He said, however, that the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) shouldn’t be the focus at this point for what it left out of the plan, when the government didn’t even achieve the construction of the facilities that were on the plan.
The plan that was passed from the PPP to the Coalition Government in 2015 included a brand new terminal, eight air bridges, among other things.
The Coalition Government claimed it found major problems when it entered office in 2015 and assessed the project. It claimed that major changes needed to be made.
Instead of a brand new terminal building for the Arrivals and Departures along with a longer runway, there was renovation of the old terminal buildings and a smaller structure for the Arrivals.
The number of passenger bridges has been reduced from eight to four and the fancy, energy–saving glass roof that CHEC promised is now zinc sheets.
Jagdeo said, “So we now have a rehabilitated terminal rather than a brand new terminal. And they have reduced the size of the apron and we get criticised for what we didn’t put in the contract but they’re not even achieving what we put in the contract.”
Jagdeo questioned “But why is it that we’re not holding this government accountable for ensuring that the contractor delivers what we put in the contract?”
He was reminded that Kaieteur News has been investigating and reporting on this matter for years.
Asked for the original plan, Jagdeo said that David Patterson, Minister of Public Infrastructure, would have the plan.
“You could ask Patterson for it, ask Patterson,” but Jagdeo said that Patterson would not release the designs, if asked.
“Ask him what was his square footage of the new terminal and what the square footage is now, excluding the part where they are rehabilitating,” he said.
To date, the public has not seen the original plan, nor has it seen the adjusted plan that Patterson claims needed to be made.
The Chinese contractor had claimed for US$90M with only seven percent of the work completed. A significant portion of that money was paid out. The contract was supposed to be completed in 32 months after being signed in 2011, but has dragged on to 2019.
The PPP, which signed the contract in Jamaica secretly without going to tender, had accused the Coalition Government of drastically modifying the project, although this was not allowed for in fixed-price agreements.
The Audit Office has announced that it will be launching an audit to determine how the money was spent and whether Guyana received value for its dollar.

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