E-Governance Project Director Alexi Ramotar says the long-delayed venture will be completed by the end of August and its coordinators will launch at least one initiative by the end of this year.
The $3.1 billion project commenced in 2011 and was supposed to be completed in 2012. However, several setbacks saw its completion delayed.
During an interview with Stabroek News Ramotar said that all the needed signal towers have been erected and the fibre-optic cables which are to connect the towers have been run. In 2013, Ramotar and his coordinators ran into problems when they attempted to erect one of the project’s 54 signal towers in the Plaisance Com-munity Centre Ground, East Coast Demerara (ECD).
After the community’s residents protested, consultations were held to ascertain an alternative site. It was eventually determined that the tower would be erected in Vryheid’s Lust, ECD and Ramotar said the tower has already been erected. There were also issues with the laying of the fibre-optic cables to connect the network, but Ramotar said that too is now complete.
Last March, Ramotar blamed Engineering and Construction Inc for the delayed implementation of the project. The delays, he had said, caused an increase in the project’s budget, and although he declined to say by how much the project was overrun, he did reveal that the project’s coordinators applied penalties and were able to collect funds from contractors he described as errant.
However, Sam Barakat, of Engineering and Construction Inc, had said in a letter last February that Ramotar was the one to blame for the delays. Ramotar though, had said that the nature of the work to be done, coupled with the need for specialised equipment contributed to the delays.
He also said that the project took some time “because it was a learning curve for us.”
He also said that the fibre-optic cables, which were run from Lethem to Georgetown, were not laid to required specifications. As a result, the movement of heavy machinery caused some breakage. However, all issues, including the broken cables, have been resolved and the project is in the testing phase, Ramotar said. This stage is expected to be completed by the end of August after which the project’s coordinators will be looking to begin offering services.
At least one initiative, Ramotar told Stabroek News, should be ready for implementation by the end of the year.
With the implementation of the E-Governance Project government is looking to lower the cost of doing business by providing high-quality frequencies at inexpensive costs. Ramotar had noted that companies looking to operate in Guyana are usually burdened with the responsibility of setting up their own ICT infrastructure.
Though necessary, this responsibility is very expensive and can deter investors, he said. As such, the E-Governance Gover-nance project is aimed at making investing in Guyana more attractive.
