Chairman of the Good Hope/Hydronie Neighbourhood Democratic Council (NDC) is disappointed that despite his objections about substandard materials being used on a street at Hydronie, East Bank Essequibo, it has still been approved.
Milton Dookie told Stabroek News that the street should have been upgraded with second grade crusher run and could not understand how the Regional Executive Officer (REO) of Region Three, Denis Jaikarran could have allowed a “quarry cleaning” to be used.
The crusher run, he said, which cost more money contains “pure stones of varying sizes” and is ideal for the job because it does not wash away that easily.
According to him, the quarry cleaning seems to have “more than 50% loam.”
Contacted, Jaikarran told Stabroek News that, “When the supplier who supplied the crusher run came to the office he verified the quality and indicated that at no time did they sell the quarry cleaning.”
During a visit on Tuesday, Dookie pointed out to this newspaper that the street had gotten soggy with the heavy rainfall and was messy to traverse. He said too that it was “ridiculous” for that type of material to be used.
According to him, “We have been buying the second grade crusher run for years so we know what they are supposed to get. When the man supplied that material about three weeks ago I stopped him and I called the region and informed them.”
He was surprised that the delivery of the material continued and decided to “call the REO and even wrote him saying that the material was substandard.”
A meeting was subsequently arranged with the REO, Dookie, the contractor and the regional engineer.
“I made my case [at the meeting] and the REO asked to see the consignment [slip]” which stated that second grade crusher run was delivered.”
Dookie said he told the REO: “It doesn’t matter what the slip says, on the ground we are not getting second grade crusher run.”
Someone at the office also told him that the “second grade crusher run contained loam, which I doubted, and said I would have to do a sieve analysis.”
He responded that he did not have to because “the contractor has to prove that what he is supplying is second grade crusher run.” Dookie said he was expecting the engineer to visit the site and examine the material.
The REO called the “Baracara Quarry that supplies that material and they gave him an explanation and told him it is second grade crusher run and the REO said he is ok with that and he is not going to question anybody’s integrity…”
Not satisfied, the chairman then approached the Ministry of Communities and later wrote the permanent secretary (PS), Emil Mc Garrell on the issue.
He said “the person who is in charge of NDCs” subsequently told him that the PS gave instructions on how to proceed.
He phoned the office two weeks ago and learnt “the PS said that the Regional Tender Board has the authority to adjudicate on the matter.”
Last Thursday, someone started “spreading the material” which was heaped at the corner of the street. Dookie and another councilor tried to stop him but he “boldly” said: “the region instructed him to spread it…”
The REO told this newspaper that Dookie informed him that he wrote the Communities Minister and that “someone would get to him to say what would happen.”
Jaikarran said he waited a while and after he did not get a feedback, he asked the regional works committee to verify that the quality was ok.
It was found that there was no supply of substandard material and he advised that the spreading be done.
Further, the REO said that there was a public tender and as NDC chairman, Dookie had tendered for the contract and that was a conflict of interest.
“His tendering did not meet the requirement in terms of documents; his NIS and GRA compliance were not submitted… and it was far in excess.”
Meanwhile, Dookie pointed out that this is not the first time that “something like this has happened” and related that under the previous government, a contractor supplied crusher run during the night. He said that the contractor was supposed to liaise with the overseer but claimed that he was “dealing with the chairman of the Regional Works Committee.”
