Indian Arrival Monument statues installed

DPI, Guyana, Wednesday, October 24, 2018

The eagerly anticipated statues for the Indian Arrival Monument in Palmyra, Region Six have been mounted by contractors late Wednesday afternoon.

The six, twelve feet tall bronze statues which have a value of $31Million (US $150,000) were placed on the podium and base at ‘T Junction’, Palmyra, East Berbice-Corentyne, as contractors were working behind the scenes to complete the project for its December 2018 opening.

While works began on August 14 of this year, Loch Engineering Services who has the supervision contract for the works on the monument is confident that the seven other contractors working on the one-acre plot of land are on schedule and will meet their respective deadlines.

The 12 feet tall statues were donated by the Indian Government to Guyana and depicts six persons (three men, two women and one child) in their everyday lives.  Despite being in the country since 2017 the statues are now finally in position after an inadequate design by the previous administration had to be revised.

In April of last year, the base that was intended to support the statues collapsed and the design had to be revised. The Indian government made an agreement with the present administration to finance the services of the architect, sculptor and an engineer to see the project to its completion.

Under the Ministry of Public Infrastructure, the project was moved to the front burner and the works were divided into eight sub lots as follows:

  • Lot 1- Construction of monument foundation, base and podium
  • Lot 2- Construction of roadway, internal drains, perimeter walkway and parking area
  • Lot 3- Construction of fencing and internal walkway
  • Lot 4- Construction of visitor’s gallery and security hut
  • Lot 5 – Supply and installation of concrete pavers (roadway and parking lot)
  • Lot 6 – Supply and installation of concrete pavers (perimeter walkway and internal landscaping
  • Lot 7 – Civil works supervision of services for the Indian Arrival Monument at Palmyra, Region Six
  • Lot 8 – Preparation of internal and external landscaping

The division of labour between several contractors has allowed more work to be done over a shorter period of time. When the DPI visited the area to get a glimpse, the other contractors were busy at work on their respective Lots while the monument was being mounted.

Loch Engineering Services estimates the overall progress to be 80 percent complete and expressed confidence that works will be completed within the timeframe allotted.

Story and Images: Nafeeza Sakur.

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