Marcelle Thomas

A shift in approach by creditors and financiers, compounded by market forces and emerging businesses, has caused the Georgetown-based Nigel’s Supermarket to significantly scale down its operations.

After six years and an investment of over $1.3B to date, the Santa Fe mega farm in Region 9 is waiting on government’s go ahead for an additional 20,000 acres of land to begin cattle rearing in early 2017, thus completing the first phase of the project.

Former President Donald Ramotar and immediate past Attorney General Anil Nandlall yesterday defended their party’s record on constitutional reform saying that it is now up to the APNU+AFC government to fulfil their manifesto commitments and take up from where the PPP/C had left off.

The 18-month-old coalition-led government and the opposition People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) do not appear to have any appetite for constitutional reform, with both sides historically wary of giving up presidential powers, Professor Harold Lutchman and Ralph Ramkarran have said.

Members of the public are being invited to meet government ministers at the PNCR’s headquarters and party General Secretary Oscar Clarke sees no problem with the potential merging of state and party interests.

In an historic decision, the Bid Protest Committee (BPC) has upheld the Communities Ministry’s award of a $221 million one-year contract to Puran Brothers Disposal Inc for the operation and maintenance of the Haags Bosch Landfill, after finding that the evaluation criteria were followed and that the company had the lowest bid.

Next year seems brighter for the dismally resourced Government Analyst Food and Drug Department (GA-FDD) as the APNU+AFC administration has budgeted funds that would enable the agency to acquire its own office and laboratories and fulfil its vast mandate, Director Marlan Cole, says.

The newly established Bid Protest Committee (BPC) now has three cases to deliberate on as Guyana Beverages Inc (GBI), has joined Demerara Distillers Limited (DDL) in protesting the award for the supply of juices to the Ministry of Education’s distribution programme.

Demerara Distillers Limited (DDL) has filed a formal protest against their loss of a bid to supply boxed juices for the national school feeding programme which went to Surinamese company, Rudisa.

While the Central Housing and Planning Authority (CH&PA) is seeking developers to fund new real estate projects it is to take back lands from errant developers such as the Baishanlin-owned Sunset Lakes for failing to meet contractual obligations.

Following seizures of property during Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) raids on its operations at Providence and Coomacka, the Chief Executive Officer of Baishalin yesterday appealed to government and the people to show patience and give the Chinese logging company at least three years to deliver on its commitments to value-added output and job creation.

Controversial Chinese logging company, Baishanlin yesterday vowed a court fight after the GFC signalled the yanking of its forest concessions following years of questions over its activities here and the absence of promised wood processing.

People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR) Chairman Basil Williams will not be opposed for re-election when offices are contested at the ongoing 19th Biennial Delegates’ Congress.

Government yesterday stated that its Minister of Health misled Parliament on a controversial contract for the storage of pharmaceuticals and it called on him to issue a public apology and also said that the deal for the Sussex Street premises would be reviewed.

At least $144 million would be required to fix the defective Kato Secondary School which was built at a cost of $728.1 million, according to auditing firm Rodrigues Architects Limited, who have also said that construction was rushed due to pressure from the former PPP/C government who wanted it to be completed in time for the May 2015 general elections.

With an approach slab to the $350 million Hope Canal Bridge rotating away from it, the government faces a significant repair bill as questions mount over how the defects liability period expired without the contractor, Dipcon of Trinidad being asked to remedy the problem.

While they anticipate as much as a 25% increase in salary for 2016, Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC) workers yesterday welcomed an announcement by government of a one-off six weeks’ payout for last year.

Chairperson of the recently-established Bid Protest Committee (BPC) Renee McDonald has resigned even as the body’s first case—Cevons Waste Management’s protest against the Ministry of Communities over the award of a $221M Haags Bosch landfill maintenance contract—awaits a decision.

After more than half a century of practice, Dr Gladstone Mitchell has hung up his stethoscope, but he wants local politicians to stop interfering in the policy decisions, made by medical professionals that are aimed at developing the nation’s healthcare system.

The Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) has removed its dress code. “We don’t want the taxpayers to feel as if we are turning our backs on them… and more so if they are coming to pay their revenues,” Chairman of the GRA Board Rawle Lucas told Stabroek News yesterday.