With the construction of the Bamia Primary School, and the extension of Cemetery Road dragging pass their completion dates by more than a year, Chairman of the Alliance For Change (AFC), David Patterson today said the contractors for the two multi-million projects should have been fired by now. 

One year after its deadline, the Bamia Primary School remains incomplete despite several extensions.  

Back in November 2021, St8ment Investment was awarded the contract for the construction of the school to the tune of $346M with a completion date of July 2023. But despite all assurances that the school would be completed by April 1, 2024, the contractor has since requested another extension. 

In the case of the $475M Cemetery Road Expansion Project, it is now two years behind the deadline. In an attempt to accelerate the project, the Public Works Ministry has hired two sub-contractors to assist the contractor – Avinash Construction and Metal Works Company. 

 “Obviously, any other contractor, other than a friend and a family would have been fired, immediately. You cannot have a school, in particular in Bamia, the school term is opening in September, they have already started registering primary school students and the school is unavailable to the residents two years after. Cemetery Road, two years after. It is inconceivable that any contractor should have been given such a lifeline, they should have been fired, penalized and of course sent off, but unfortunately, they seem to be protected by the government,” Patterson told News Source during a press conference today. 

He said after developing a culture of handing out contracts to “family, friends and favorites,” the Government is now attempting to right the wrongs that it created, when it allowed for the country’s procurement system to be bypassed. 

But the damage, he said, has already been done with a number of infrastructure projects facing extensive delays. 

According to him, almost all of the projects awarded to “the new breed of contractors,” are either incomplete or were completed beyond the contract deadline. 

He said aside from the Bamia Primary School, the North Ruimveldt School, the St. George’s and Christ Church Secondary Schools remain incomplete. The Karasabai Secondary school project is at a standstill with no explanation.

Patterson said the situation is no different in the case of other infrastructure projects. 

“Despite having paid a contractor over $6B since 2022, the multi-story office complex being constructed by the Ministry of Public Works is still at the preliminary design stage. CJIA – works are still ongoing four years after the PPP/C return to office with no end in sight. Hospitals – the government has boasted about building several new hospitals in the regions, not a single hospital has been completed. The PPP boasted that they would be restarting the all the sugar estates, having expended billions of dollars – the factories remain incomplete. The relocation of the Enmore Packaging factory remains incomplete,” the AFC Chairman pointed out. 

Patterson – a former Minister of Public Infrastructure under the coalition – said a number of roads remain incomplete including the expansion of Conversation Tree, Lamaha Street, and the Crane to Schoonard Bypass Road. 

He said in the case of the Heroes Highway, though completed, it is already showing signs of disrepair, and it is anticipated that urgent interventions will be needed to ratify a number of defects – particularly at the approaches to bridges and culverts.

“While citizens are very grateful for the numerous roads constructed, there is a complains about the design of these roads, the width of all roads has been reduced to ten feet or less, thus making it impossible for two vehicles to traverse the road – the comment in most communities is that the government is constructing walkways instead of roadways,” Patterson said. 

In the Energy Sector, the Gas-to-Energy Project is already facing delays, and Patterson is not optimistic that the New Demerara Bridge will be completed as scheduled. The contract for the bridge was signed in May 2022, with a construction period of two years. However, Patterson said the project is less than 20% completed and is unlikely to be completed before 2026.

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