N&S General Engineering Contracting Services yesterday declined to comment on the contract for the El Dorado road which it failed to start some eight months after receiving funds for mobilization resulting in Minister Juan Edghill ordering the termination of the contract on Friday.
Shazad Sattaur, 36, of N&S General Engineering Contracting Services when contacted yesterday morning initially agreed to comment on the difficulties the company encountered in starting the project.
He asked that the Sunday Stabroek make contact with him at 2 pm for the interview. However, when that was done the contractor said that he had received a letter to meet with a government official and would no longer want to comment on the matter at this stage.
The contract Sattaur’s company received was for 1 km into El Dorado – a continuation of the Moleson Creek to El Dorado Road project which is vital for the construction of the planned Corentyne Bridge.
On Friday, the Minister disclosed, that the contractor received a mobilisation advance of $22m some eight months ago for the 1 km road and had failed to start any sort of work at the location.
He pointed out that the contract for the continuation of the road “getting into El Dorado which was supposed to be opening up farm lands and make life easier for the people” has not started.
He then said, that he had asked to meet the contractor at the location at 8 am. However, at 8.30 am Edghill engaged the media present as neither the contractor nor his workmen showed up at the location. “There is no visible sign of any work executing this contract and I have said to the PS that this will not be tolerated; his contract must be terminated forthwith.”
Edghill stressed that the money is available and steps will be taken to select another contractor so that the project is “delivered to the people.”
He added, “We are not going to be in a mode of any contractor doing work … when he feels to do it. When you finish something somewhere else then you gonna come and do this, when you get time when you get money, that is not the way we do it.”
He also pointed out that when contractors bid for a project they must show that they have the equipment, finance, and personnel to execute the project awarded to them although they might have other ongoing projects at the time.
“This is eight months, a contractor has received $22m of taxpayers’ money, he could have invested, gone to Miami, and gone to wherever he wants to go and the farmers in this community have not benefitted from this.”
