Public Works Minister Juan Edghill cannot say whether Nandy Park residents were consulted about possible relocation in order to facilitate the new Demerara River Bridge which is expected to land in the community.
Stabroek News contacted Edghill on Wednesday and was told that consultations are held at varying levels and times while committing to having every stakeholder consulted. However, he could not provide a specific answer as to whether his Ministry or the Eccles/Ramsburg Neighbourhood Democratic Council (NDC) held a consultation with the residents there.
“I can say as a matter of policy (with) a project this size (that) all necessary stakeholders have been and will be engaged and engagements are taking place,” Edghill related.
The new bridge is expected to land in the vicinity of Nandy Park on the eastern side of the Demerara River and at La Grange/Meer-Zorgen on the West Bank. According to the Ministry’s Chief Transport Planning Officer, Patrick Thompson, only a handful of residents would have to be relocated to facilitate the new bridge.
Thompson had admitted that there were no consultations held with the residents who are expected to be impacted, despite the magnitude of the project.
At the beginning of November, the Ministry wrote to the Regional Democratic Council (RDC) of Region Four (Demerara-Mahaica) requesting that it grant a “no-objection” to the project and on November 8, Chairman Daniel Seeram and the Region’s Works Committee conducted a site visit. Thompson and another engineer from the Ministry facilitated the visit and answered questions.
Seeram had asked whether consultations were conducted with the residents, to which Thompson replied in the negative. However, he did indicate that the NDC granted its approval and also pointed to a process where the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) notifies of the project. He further informed that it was there that stakeholders could have made objections but they have received none so far.
The EPA controversially decided that the project did not require an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) though it is expected to drastically change the landscape of both La Grange and Nandy Park. The environmental body has since been coming in for criticism over the decision.
At the end of the visit, Seeram and his team had indicated that they were willing to offer the no-objection on the spot but the answer to the question of consultation was troubling them. He did promise to investigate the level of public consultation that was done before the RDC made a decision.
In a subsequent letter to the Permanent Secretary of the Public Works Ministry, Vladim Persaud, the RDC indicated that it would be withholding its no-objection until it is satisfied that adequate public consultations were conducted.
According to the letter, the RDC discovered that the NDC Chairman Anand Kalladeen acted unilaterally when he gave the no-objection without consulting residents or the full Council.
“…in view of the above, along with concerns raised with my office from residents of the intended affected areas, the Region-al Democratic Council (RDC) Demerara-Mahaica is hereby requesting a public consultation between the residents and stakeholders with the appropriate persons present to respond to any questions or concerns from residents and stakeholders. At this point, the RDC awaits the outcome of such consultation before considering the primary request for a no-objection,” the letter stated.
However, Edghill said he has seen no such letter.
“I have not seen any such letter and I refuse to comment on something I have no knowledge of. But I am sure you would have seen reports of the residents there welcoming the project and saying that they are willing to move if they have to,” Edghill commented.
The government’s request for the Region’s approval of the project is something that is considered new and only came about following pressure from activists about the non-involvement of local authorities in large scale developmental projects.
In a statement earlier in November, Government announced that it will be engaging China State Construction Engineering Corporation (CSCEC) on the construction of the bridge. The decision was based on the fact that the company submitted the lowest responsive bid.
However, the company still has to accept the award and enter into negotiations with the government as it relates to the contract and design of the bridge.
CSCEC, in its tender document, pegged the cost for the construction of the bridge at US$256,638,289 and it is based on the Design, Build and Finance (DBF) option, or Design, Build, Finance, Operate and Maintain (DBFOM).
The Scope of Works in the design/build contract included the complete design and construction of a two-lane dual (four-lane) carriageway, a hybrid cable-stayed centre-span bridge with concrete box/ T-beam girder approach bridge structures, and must include bridge collision protection, a navigation span to accommodate Handy-max vessel navigation aids, lighting, signage, and all other ancillary works, an access road with a minimum of 50 metres up to abutments, toll-collection buildings and ancillary buildings on the West Bank of the Demerara River.
