As it awaits the construction of its planned Ogle headquarters, ExxonMobil has leased businessman Rizwan Khan’s seven-storey building in Duke Street, Kingston, Georgetown, where its current offices willed be consolidated.
“I can confirm we are leasing the Duke St. Building. We are consolidating our offices from three into one until our long-term office complex near Ogle is completed,” ExxonMobil’s Director of Public and Government Affairs Deedra Moe told this newspaper.
The construction of Khan’s Duke Street property had provoked the ire of residents of Barrack and Duke streets, who bemoaned resulting damage to their properties and tremors felt during the day.
This newspaper had contacted Khan and at that time he had said that no one complained to him and that he had “insurance and we would be able to fix whatever was damaged.”
When questioned on the purpose for the construction of the high-rise is building in the community, he responded, “That is my personal business, you don’t need to know that.” Khan has several high rise properties around the city, including two buildings located at the junction of Camp and Robb streets, the American Store building on Robb and Wellington streets, and the Discount Store building on Regent and Wellington streets.
He has always maintained that he has satisfied all the necessary codes and permits for construction from both City Hall and the Central Housing and Planning Authority.
Meanwhile, through a sublease arrangement on 10 acres of land leased to Ogle Airport Inc. (OAI) by the Guyana Lands and Surveys Commission, ExonMobil plans to construct its state-of-the art corporate headquarters.
In April, joint venture NABI/KCL Oilfield Construction Services Guyana, through a press release, announced that it had been awarded the contract for the Ogle project.
It pointed out that the state-of-the-art campus will be constructed on a green field 15-acre site comprising two buildings, associated infrastructure and a net zero energy footprint. The plans also include the construction of a roadway as the designated site has no road access.
