The Ministry of Housing and Water signed seven contracts valued over $800M on Monday to continue infrastructural works in new and existing housing schemes countrywide.
The contracts were subdivided into three parts, those funded by government, the ministry and those planned under the 2010 supplementary provision, a press release from the Government Information Agency (GINA) said. Contracts were inked with KARES Engineering, Mohammed Ramzan Ali Khan Construction, A Ramcharitar, M Fawaz Construction, Ivor Allen, and Compustruct Engineering.
Five contracts planned under the 2011 budget cost $679,190,799 and will see the construction of roads, drains and structures for water distribution networks in Zeelugt, Lots One and Two, East Bank Essequibo; Leonora, West Coast Demerara; Block “D” Bath Phase Two, West Coast Berbice and Mahdia, Region Eight.
The contract funded by the ministry to upgrade roads, drains and structures in Onderneeming, Essequibo, Region Two costs more than $53M and the one inked under the budgetary supplementary provision 2010 for the upgrading of the Tuschen main access road will be done to tune of $73,053,783. All the contracts, but the one at Mahdia for two months, are expected to be completed in three months.
Housing Minister Irfaan Ali urged the contractors to work within the stipulated time. Also, the remainder of the $700M 2011 budgetary allocation will be spent on the Culvert City Project in Lethem, Region Nine. Ali also noted that despite comments and statements appearing in certain sections of the media, the ministry has set a “strong and ambitious” target for 2011 and plans to work aggressively to realise 7,000 house lots by year end.
He also said that the ministry works within the legal framework to ensure that transparency and accountability are not compromised. Ali noted that the contracts signed were publicly advertised and tendered under the National Procurement and Tender Administration Board’s rules and guidelines.
Additionally, he said the ministry committed more than 80 per cent of the budgetary allocation for infrastructural development early in the year. The ministry also said work done under the Low Income Programme is progressing, as it moves steadily towards fulfilling its budgetary target of $1.4B. “This complements the works being undertaken in the East Bank Housing Development Project and those being executed under the Public/ Private Partnership, which should see an additional 1000 new lots being developed,” GINA said.
