Minister of Agriculture responds to Opposition Member Mahipaul – cites press statement as ‘mischievous and misleading’
The Ministry of Agriculture wishes to vehemently debunk a mischievous, misleading and inaccurate press statement titled “Zulfikar Mustapha’s action will cost taxpayers millions” dated October 18, 2023 from Opposition Member of Parliament Ganesh Mahipaul.
The Hon. Minister of Agriculture finds this statement embellished with many inaccuracies and borders on mischief as the Opposition MP clearly wants to sensationalize the facts. It may be recalled that on September 25, 2023, the Ministry of Agriculture’s National Drainage and Irrigation Authority (NDIA) acting on the advice and recommendation of its experienced consultants took a decision to terminate the contract for the Black Bush Polder pump station since there were several technical breaches by the contractor, Yunas Civil and Building Contracting Services.
The consultant’s recommendation was based on the failure by the contractor to address breaches of the contract continually combined with the failure of the contractor to execute works in accordance with the contract and the continued failure over the duration of the project to achieve the scheduled progress of works in accordance with the approved work programme. These all amounted to a fundamental breach of the contract.
It was evident that several clauses of the contract also continued to be breached such as the employment of key personnel which was a requirement under the contract. As it relates to design specifications, a number of discrepancies were observed with the reinforcement of the pile caps. It was observed that no dowel bars were installed on a number of piles even though casting was ongoing. Additionally, the spacing between the reinforcement bars was inconsistent with the drawings. This further compounded non-compliance with technical specifications and construction drawings for the project.
More importantly, the concrete compressive test showed that the concrete strength did not meet the standard which would require the steel rods that were installed being removed and the concrete being broken out and steel rods replaced at the cost to the contractor. Given the circumstances, it led to the termination of the project.
If Mr. Mahipaul would have taken the time to investigate rather than sensationalize the facts, he would have found that the steel is being moved to a safe location. Therefore, his allegations that “these valuable materials will continue to deteriorate, translating into an exorbitant financial loss for the taxpayers” is totally inaccurate.
While it is indeed questionable that Mr. Mahipaul has taken the time to visit the project site and meticulously count the steel rods as well as provide a value, he should have done the same for the “fire pumps” that were procured by the previous administration since none of those pumps are efficiently operated and continue to cost taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars. It would seem that Mr. Mahipaul’s meticulous check is more anecdotal information rather than on facts.
Mr. Mahipaul’s recommendation that concrete be poured over the steel rods is absurd since it is not based on any technical advice since the entire structure would need to be replaced given the failed concrete compressive test. In building a structure of this nature, the piles are first placed then capped following by the installation of steel as shown in Mr. Mahipaul’s photographs. Therefore, since the concrete compressive test did not meet the required standard, the entire concrete around the pile caps would need to be broken and replaced. Further, the steel as shown in the photographs would be removed and new concrete is poured around the pile caps. The steel rods would then be replaced. As such, Mr. Mahipaul lacks technical knowledge as it relates to these projects.
If Mr. Mahipaul had taken the time to engage the Authority surely this information would have been provided. As such, the allegations that the Hon. Minister of Agriculture acted hastily is mischievous, misleading and should be immediately retracted. It may be recalled that the same Mr. Mahipaul would have stated that action be taken against defaulting contractors and now that action is being taken, he has an issue. It is clear that Mr. Mahipaul is not interested in the facts but only wants to sensationalize issues.
It is indeed reprehensible that Mr. Mahipaul alleges that there was “shortsightedness” and “thoughtless action” by the Hon. Minister of Agriculture when the decision to terminate was based on sound engineering advice.
Under those circumstances, the Ministry of Agriculture is demanding that Mr. Mahipaul retracts his incorrect and misleading statement. While the Ministry of Agriculture is open to constructive criticism, it will not hesitate to correct any misleading statements as it relates to its projects.