Latest update December 11th, 2024 1:33 AM
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Eight months after no work, road contract terminated – Govt.
Kaieteur News – The Government of Guyana on Friday terminated a road contract awarded to N&S Contracting last year.
The contracting firm was required to construct 1km of road from third bridge at Eldorado, Moleson Creek, Upper Corentyne, Region Six. However, after paying the Contractor a mobilisation advance of $22M, the Contractor failed to start works eight months after.
Minister of Public Works, Juan Edghill, who has been in the Region Six area since Thursday checking on road works and engaging the Neighbourhood Democratic Councils (NDC) and residents, found that the works on the road that lead to El Dorado has not started even though the contract was awarded last year.
Minister of Public Works, Juan Edghill, at the site where the road works were slated to be done.
In a video on the Ministry’s Facebook page, Edghill said, “This is Friday the 13th, 2023, a contract for the continuation of this road getting into El Dorado which is where we are supposed to be opening up farmlands and to make life easier for the people, N&S Contracting received that contract and received a mobilisation advance of $22 M and I am here at the site, it’s now 8:30, I asked to meet the Contractor and he hasn’t arrived and none of his workmen is here, there is no visible sign of work…”
The road which N&S Contracting was slated to complete.
A visibly annoyed Edghill subsequently instructed his Permanent Secretary to immediately terminate the contract. The Minister said that monies are available and Contractors engaged since the project has been rolled over.
The Minister assured that the road works will be completed in the interest of those residing in the community.
“We are not going to be in a mode of any Contractor doing a work when he feels to do it. When you finish something somewhere else then you gonna come and do this, when you get time, when you get money that is not the way we do it…,” Minister declared.
Edghill said that when Contractors bid for a project, despite having other projects to complete on hand, they must show that they have the equipment, personnel, the financial capabilities to execute the project awarded to them.
“This is eight months, a Contractor has received $22 M of taxpayers’ money, he could have invested, gone to Miami and gone to wherever he wants to go and the farmers in this community have not benefitted from this…,” Minister Edghill said.
Kaieteur News understands that the contract awarded to N&S Contracting is valued at $88,134,378.
Meanwhile, Minister Edghill visited several other locations including the Seafort Canal where a bridge is being constructed to link the Corentyne Highway to Canje.
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