Latest update April 23rd, 2024 12:59 AM
Apr 06, 2013 News
– CH&PA yet to submit documents
Stalled rehabilitative roadwork on Avenues ‘A’ and ‘B’ of Diamond Housing Scheme, East Bank Demerara, has attracted the attention of the Auditor General’s Office, following numerous complaints by citizens of the poor quality and the lengthiness of the project.
The multi-million-dollar contract was awarded to Kares Engineering. The project, according to a Government Information Agency article dated March 15, involves rehabilitating “Blocks 1 & 2 of Avenue A with asphaltic concrete, and Avenue B and another cross street with crusher run”.
Works on the project commenced in April 2012 and were expected to conclude four months later in August. However, to date, the job remains incomplete and the contractor’s equipment is still on site. It is unclear whether the contractor has been paid in full.
Attempts to ascertain information from the Central Housing and Planning Authority (CH&P) on this project have proved futile. Following several phone calls to the entity and repeatedly being told that those who could possibly provide answers were unavailable, an email was sent to the Chief Executive Officer for a comment. There has been no response to the latter.
According to a resident, in February this year, the Ministry of Housing had given the contractor two weeks to complete the roads. And, a Clerk of Works was placed on site to monitor the project. The roads have since been improved via Double Bitumen Surface Treatment, but residents are still disappointed with the execution of the project as well as key aspects. For example, they are asking why the contractor can’t complete the job using asphaltic concrete.
One resident complained bitterly that the “roughness of the roads with small bricks” is damaging his vehicle. He stressed that for years many of the roads in Diamond have been deplorable and sometimes with heavy rainfall, are virtually impassable.
According to Phillip Smith, Audit Director of the Audit Office, owing to the many concerns raised about this project, the Works and Structure Department has asked CH&PA, by way of engineer, to provide documents on the project. He related that the documents are reportedly being prepared for submission, but could not recall how long ago this arrangement was made.
He encouraged that citizens who want a project investigated “for reasonable reasons” could contact the Audit Office.
Defending the delay, a Kares Engineering representative said that the contractor had experienced difficulty in accessing crusher run and tar for the project. It was explained that last November when the country experienced a shortage of crusher run, the company could not get any of the construction material for the road.
However, during that period, BK International announced that its storage yard at Kingston was filled with crusher run and had the capacity to supply material for most projects being executed across Guyana.
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