Minister of Public Works, Juan Edghill has warned that the contractor in charge of $32 million worth of incomplete roadworks in the Diamond/Grove district must finish it soon or face the applicable sanctions which include termination of the contract.
In a release yesterday by the Department of Public Information (DPI), it was stated that the minister issued this ultimatum as he was reviewing the state of the roads during a walkabout in the district with officials of the Neighbourhood Democratic Council.
“There are four streets that have been awarded, contracts have been signed since 2019 and should have been completed. I have said to my technical staff to write the contractor and he has to get on this site in a week to finish this work. If he can’t, I am going to terminate the contract with all of the penalties that are there and the Force Account Unit of the Ministry of Public Works will get the work done,” Edghill was quoted as saying.
According to DPI, the Ministry’s Force Account Unit will repair several streets with the materials purchased by the NDC. The Unit will also finish works wherever there may be gaps between the works done by the NDC and the Ministry.
NDC Chairman, Indrani Ramnarine, told DPI that the minister’s intervention was timely. She added, “The lives of the residents will be improved because we have been receiving constant complaints about the roads and the roadworks that have been done within the last five years.”
Under Budget 2020, the government has issued Invitation for Bids (IFBs) for the rehabilitation of several streets in Diamond. These are 4th Cross Street (5th Avenue-6th Avenue), 3rd Parallel Road (3 Avenue- 4th Avenue) and 3rd Parallel Road (3rd Avenue-4th Avenue), the release added.
