Latest update May 8th, 2024 12:59 AM
Nov 17, 2012 News
Chairman says no works began, REO says works completed
There are conflicting updates on the progress of maintenance works on Mahdia roadway following revelations by the Auditor General’s office that the Region Eight Administration in 2011, certified a $4.9M road project that never commenced, as completed.
According to Regional Chairman, Mark Crawford, maintenance works to Mahdia roadway have not begun contrary to Head of the Budget Agency’s response to the Auditor General that works are ongoing.
Auditor General’s Report 2011 stated, “A contract for the repairs to Mahdia roadway was awarded to the sole bidder in the sum of $4.9M. The works were certified by the Regional officials as having been satisfactorily completed and the full contract sum was paid to the contractor.
“However, a physical verification of the project revealed that no works were done and as such, the amount of $4.9M paid to the contractor should be recovered in full.”
The Head of the Budget Agency, responding to the Auditor General, merely acknowledged the acceptance of the never commenced project as completed as “a lapse, which is regretted and indicated that the works are presently ongoing by the contractor”.
Meanwhile, the Audit Office recommended that the Regional Administration ensures that works are verified as satisfactorily completed before any payments are made.
During a telephone interview with Regional Executive Officer, Ronald Harsawack, on Thursday, he said that maintenance works on Mahdia roadway are completed. He had promised to provide details of the project but failed to do this up to yesterday.
In fact, calls to his telephone were unanswered.
According to Crawford, he was a Councillor of the former Regional Democratic Council but was never informed by the previous leaders of Region Eight- Regional Chairman Senor Bell and Executive Officer Ishwar Dass- of this maintenance project.
“In fact, what is alarming is that Councillors were also never informed of the $8.950M road repairs from School Junction to Seven Miles Junction in Mahdia project. Again this project was said to be completed by Dass but no works were done,” Crawford noted.
He emphasized that as Regional Chairman, Bell was expected to inform Councillors of these projects but from all indications it appears that Councillors were left in the dark for sinister reasons.
Crawford said that had it not been for the Auditor General’s Report 2011 Councillors would not have known about the projects.
He believes that works which were recently poorly executed from School Junction to Seven Miles Junction were done because of revelations in the report.
He found it alarming that officials would not be aware if works are being executed on roadways when they traverse the area daily.
Crawford said that it is worrying that Dass would blame poor documentation for overpayments, especially when millions of taxpayers’ dollars are involved.
He said that according to the report, “A contract for the construction of drains at Mahdia was awarded in the sum of $4.998M…As at 31 December, 2011 the full contract sum was paid to the contractor.”
“However, a physical verification of the project revealed that overpayments totaling $3.5M were made to the contractor.”
Another instance of overpayment highlighted in the report is, “A contract for the construction of Chuing Mouth Bridge was awarded to the most responsive of three bidders in the sum of $7.206M. As at 31 December 2011, the full contract sum was paid to the contractor.”
A physical verification of the project revealed that the works were not completed and seemed to be abandoned even as overpayments totaling $3.834M were made to the contractor.
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