Dear Editor,
One is grateful to SN of March 20 for exposing the transparency with which taxpayers’ money has been distributed within the purview of the Ministry of Housing and Water, in respect of the following construction projects:
a) Infrastructural Works
* 37 Contractors awarded a total of 68 contracts to a value of $12,018,879,315
b) Housing Construction
14 Contractors awarded 122 contracts to the value of $1,828,000,000
c) Other Works
4 Contractors awarded 9 contracts to the value of $139,121,556
To the scrutinising eye some contractors are better known than others. But that does not exclude the public being provided with a summary of the track record of each of the awardees.
Presumably each project has to be completed by a specified target date. Which agency then is assigned the authoritative responsibility for evaluating the pace and quality of each project and reporting thereon accordingly? At the very least each contractor should be given public notification that the relevant Regional Executive Officer (and team) is authorised to evaluate and report appropriately on the progress of the respective projects.
Where necessary, the matter must be regarded as sufficiently critical as to be brought to the attention of the relevant Parliamentary Committee.
Equally important, however, to those awarding the contracts must be the conditions under which workers at varying levels are employed by the contractors. This should be a matter of urgent attention of the Ministry of Labour; as well as the Ministry of Health in these pandemic times.
In any case there must be insistence on contractors fulfilling the basic requirements of the Occupational Safety and Health Act.
Additionally, should there not be interventions by the NIS, particularly in relation to female workers? But the situation may well involve pre-employment medical examination and related certification. Should not the awarding Ministry seek the imposing help of the Ministry of Health?
All (including Contractors) must be sensitive about the pandemic environment in which these social projects must be executed.
In the end the deliberate decision-makers must understand that they would be accountable to the future householders for any structural defects complained of.
Yours faithfully,
E.B. John
