With a total of $7.6 billion from its overall $15.8 billion contract sum awarded for the building of the government mega office complex at Haags Bosch on the East Bank of Demerara, Minister of Public Works Juan Edghill yesterday assured that the former landfill site poses no environmental risk.
He noted that all of the preliminary works that had to be done have been completed and “we are very well advanced on this project at this point and time.”
Opposition Member of Parliament (MP) Annette Ferguson, expressed concern about areas near the former dumpsite being transformed into lands for daily office use and of the sums expended to date. “Can the honourable member state whether an Environmental Impact Assessment was done to determine if the area is conducive for an office, Sir? She questioned while adding, “the area is smelly on a daily basis and you can’t put humans there.”
In response Edghill said, “Where we have moved the 10 areas from the 20 acres, is all in one circle… a hotel is being built in the same circle…. The issue is that entire area, as far as we are concerned at the Ministry of Public Works, has been deemed safe and adequate for the kinds of development that is taking place”.
While Ferguson pressed on questions relating to health and environment and the need for the Environ-mental Impact Assessment (EIA), shadow Minister of Public Works David Patterson sought answers on the spending to date and materials procured.
Patterson said that he was concerned that over $6 billion had already been expended on the project and the opposition wanted to know what the money went towards, as no evidence is there to support the spending.
He also wanted to know about steel procured for the superstructure and if was greenlighted by the supervisory consultancy firm.
Edghill replied that at no point since the announcement for the building of the structure intended to hold over 6,000 government workers, had there been an issue on the need for an EIA.
Regarding the status of the project, the Public Works Minister updated, “Right now if any member or citizen would go to the location… you would see the entire site has already been cleared, tonnes upon tonnes of truckloads of sand have already been done for the land filling, all of the geotechnical bore holes have already been completed, the soil sampling and everything has been completed, you would see mobilization of equipment on site. So the contractor has also submitted his new design based upon the location and layout and that is awaiting the approval of the supervisory consultant.”
Patterson also queried if Edghill could put on record, if the consultants agreed with the steel bought for the project. Edghill said that government has advised the contractors, “Before you start shipping your materials for the superstructure wait until we get the advice from the consultants.”
In January of this year, Edghill told a press conference that the planned Government Office Complex when built will be equipped with four towers which will have the capacity to accommodate approximately 6,000 employees. He informed that the complex will be built on 20 acres of land, and one kilometre east of the new Eccles/Haags Bosch roundabout.
The subject minister had said that a total of $2.6 billion, was approved in the 2022 budget for this project to materialise.
“This is a major project for us, as you know we discussed this at Parliament last year [2022] and budgetary provisions were made and more so approv-ed for this project. We have actually moved the location to give us a better deal and service.”
He continued, “You know what this means; rather than people running to different places to get service from an agency, several agencies will be in one complex, so when you drive or you park, you can get different services done.”
According to a report shared by the Ministry of Public Works to the media, the land which was initially identified for the Govern-ment Office Complex has already been utilised. Hence, alternative land was identified at Eccles. Site visits were done and the civil works will commence during the first quarter of this year, Edghill had said.
Following that press conference, Ferguson had blistered Edghill as she insisted that he must account for the monies spent.
“Seven billion dollars of taxpayers’ money was appropriated, and a contract was awarded to ‘Caribbean Green Building Inc.’ between 2022 and 2023. However, as of January 10, 2024, taxpayers are yet to see a pile being driven for the foundation of the complex, much less the sod-turning. Nonetheless, Mr. Edghill, at his end-of-year press conference, reported to the nation, ‘This is a major project. You will have heard us discuss this at Parliament, and provisions have been made. We moved the location to give us a better deal and service.’ Further, he stated that ‘the building will be constructed about one kilometre east of the second roundabout at the new Eccles/Haags Bosch roundabout, on some 20 acres land.’ In my humble opinion, this is a lacklustre approach by Mr. Edghill and his team. The constant shifting of this project’s location doesn’t augur well for the principles governing project management,” she had written in a letter, published in the Stabroek News on January 12.
“With limited resources at my disposal, I monitored this project, and found Mr. Edghill’s statement regarding this new location for constructing this twelve (12) storey building to accommodate some 6,000 staffers premature. The new statement boggled my mind, and I have tabled several questions, in the National Assembly for responses. I guess the answers will be provided at the appropriate time when the Assembly meets,” she added.
