
Opposition political parties, the People’s National Congress and the Alliance For Change, are calling for an investigation to be conducted into $397 Million Pariuma Airstrip project in Region Seven.
The newly rehabilitated airstrip was completed just over three months ago, but there have been a number of incidents of airplanes becoming stuck in the bitumen surface.
The Ministry of Public Works was made aware of the situation, and was forced to call the contractors back out to get the problems rectified. However, the complaints persist.
Leader of the Alliance For Change (AFC), Nigel Hughes raised the issue on Friday and said legal action should be taken against the contractor for failing to deliver an airstrip that is safe for use.
“It is very unfortunate that after spending $400M on the airstrip at Pariuma, one place came in it stuck on the runway, and the airstrip has been closed since…This is after $400M. Nothing can land at that runway, it is dangerous. The consequence of that, for all the good people of Pariuma is that they can no longer travel out of Pariuma, directly to Georgetown, they now have to go down the river, Mazaruni River, to areas where they and get cheaper transportation,” Hughes said.
He said the Government should immediately take steps to address the impact on the residents of the community.

In a separate statement, the People’s National Congress/Reform (PNCR)) said the situation is disgraceful, noting that a proper functioning airstrip should have been in place following the completion of the almost $400 Million contract.
The party said the design and construction process for civil projects should incorporate checks and balances, quality assurance, and quality control.
“This review is critical to the safety of Guyanese using newly constructed roads, bridges, and airports. Construction should be closely supervised by competent professionals. No contractor should be allowed to perform work unsupervised. This supervision should ensure reinforcement bars are clean and placed as required by the drawings, that the concrete mix design is as per contract, and the concrete is placed and compacted as required,” the party noted.
The party also suggested that routine tests should be performed on large concrete works and if these tests fail, the contractor should be required, as per contract, to remove and replace the substandard concrete. The PNC said, if this process had been followed, then the situation would have been different.
“There will be a rush to blame the contractor, apply financial punishment, and sweep the issue under the carpet. However, what happened at the Paruima airport is symptomatic of a problem that pervades the procurement process under the PPP. For this reason, the PNCR demands a full and transparent investigation into the Paruima airport fiasco,” the party noted.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Public Works has sought to clarify the issue. According to the Ministry, the defects highlighted in video recordings have already been corrected by the contractors.
The Ministry said those works have been completed and additional safety checks are being carried out.
The Minister of Public Works, Juan Edghill, has defended the contractor, and explained that the same contractor has constructed similar airstrips in other communities with no issue.
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