Following the embarrassing collapse of the base for the proposed Indian immigration monument, at Palmyra, Berbice, the Ministry of Education (MoE) has solicited the help of the Ministry of Public Infrastructure for an investigation so as to guide the way forward.
Minister of Education Dr. Rupert Roopnaraine told Stabroek News yesterday that he did not have all the information at hand and would inquire and give an update by Wednesday of this week.
However, an official at the Ministry of Public Infrastructure (MPI) made clear that the ministry was not the procuring entity for the contract’s award and was only assisting with investigating the technical aspects, at the behest of the MoE.
The collapse raises embarrassing questions for the government as poor contracting work had been one of its frequent targets while in opposition. The collapse would call into question how the contract selection was made, the abilities of the contractor, the type of material used, whether an adequate design had been drawn up and if the construction was being monitored.
Stabroek News last week contacted the Ministry of Public Infrastructure’s, Public Relations Officer, Desilon Daniels, who after making enquiries, stated that the project was not from the Ministry.
Monies for monuments would usually fall under the Depart-ment of Culture, which is a part of the Ministry of Education.
The structure, which was supposed to be the base for a US$150,000 bronze sculpture, gifted by the Government of India and
which commemorates Indian Immigration here, last week suddenly collapsed while still under construction. It was supposed to be completed in time for this Friday, May 5th 2017, Indian Arrival Day celebrations. This newspaper understands that the base was “more that eighty- five percent completed” at the time of collapse.
During March 2017, Prime Minister, Moses Nagamootoo, together with the Indian High Commissioner, Venkatachalam Mahalingam, had unveiled a sign board depicting the monument at the chosen Palmyra location.
Nagamootoo, during that unveiling ceremony, had told media operatives that $97 million had been allocated for the building of the structure upon which the monument would be placed.
A person who has identified himself to Stabroek News as first the contractor then subsequently a supervisor, and gave the name Marlon Cumberbatch, is no longer available for comment. Calls to his mobile number continue to go to voicemail.
While he had spoken to a Stabroek News reporter before, he was reluctant to give the name of the company that was awarded the contract.
There has also been no official comment from the Ministry of Education on the details of the contract award although the contract would have gone through the National Procurement and Tender Administration Board.
This newspaper understands that a team of engineers from MPI visited the site on Friday and is preparing a report on the investigation they conducted there. The report is supposed to be handed to personnel at the Ministry of Education for them to decide on a way forward for the project.
Sources close to the investigation have said that that the monument can no longer be placed at the site in time for Friday. It is unclear if the Indian High Commission has been contacted and what alternative arrangements for Friday have been made.
Chairman of Region Six, David Armogan has distanced his region from the project.
“The region has nothing to do with this project, only the site is in our region, it is completely funded, completely supervised, all the tenders were done in Georgetown… “said Armogan.
Armogan further noted, that the region on numerous occasions attempted to engage the contractor’s attention. However, he said, the contractor claimed to have a contract with the Ministry of Public Infrastructure. “He’s been saying to us that he has to deal directly with that agency”, said Armogan.
Touching on the sudden collapse, Armogan said, “When we would have expected that the contractor would have gone into accelerated gear to make sure the monument site would have been completed and the monument was installed and so before the 5th of May, now one of the major constructions there has failed and the entire thing has caved in…It means the contractor or whoever was contracted to do the work didn’t get it right or something else went wrong, however, it means there is a structural deficiency there, a structural problem and the contractor would have to do it back. I don’t think that contractor could meet the 5th May, we are looking now at later in the year”, Armogan said. Armogan also noted that whoever is the supervising engineer for the project should also be held partially responsible.
The Chairman has said that the contracting company was based in Linden and that he is puzzled as to why the contract was awarded to a contractor so far from the project site when there are competent and experienced contractors right in Berbice, who would have also entered bids for the project. “This is the problem when you don’t select (contractors) based on their past record”, he said.
Armogan further pointed out that if a local contractor was selected, local labourers would have been hired and “the money would have remained and circulated within the region…the spin off from economic benefits would have been there”, Armogan stressed.
He said also that projects of such magnitude are not usually handled by the region and its tender board, noting that while the relevant ministers are involved and responsible, they never contact, inform or even seek advice from the region’s officials when carrying out such projects.
