‘No excuses’ from contractors for failing to complete projects within stipulated time – Min. Edghill

Minister of Public Works, Bishop Juan Edghill is urging contractors to accelerate allotted projects to meet the stipulated deadlines.

He made this call on Monday during inspections of the infrastructural projects.

“People have to be able to put in the resources, the manpower to get the work moving. We are in October and we are on the ground saying this year we had a programme and we are going to finish this year’s programme based upon our planning. We are not going to allow people to fall behind doing their own thing.”

The minister said contractors have no excuse for failing to complete the projects within the stipulated timeframe, owing to good weather and sufficient materials.

“I would not accept excuses from contractors now, we have had good weather, for the longest while we have had good weather. Government went over and beyond to ensure that they have adequate supply of materials, crusher run, stone and we had that stockpiled. So, you can’t come and tell me you had shortage of materials,” he stressed.

The minister also met with cash crop formers at Belfield, East Coast Demerara, who have been planting crops on the railway embankment and impeding the East Coast Demerara Road (ECD) improvement project, which entails the transformation of the double-lane ECD railway embankment into a four-lane thoroughfare from Sheriff Street to Orange Nassau.

As a result, Minister Edghill solicited the assistance of the National Agricultural Research and Extension Institute (NAREI), to fairly compensate the farmers, who must vacate the area for the continuation of the road project. 

Meanwhile, the minister reiterated the government’s stance on ‘squatting’ reemphasising that “no one has the right to come and squat and put homesteads in the way or along a government development project.”

The projects visited include the emergency rehabilitation of Diamond/ Grove -East Bank Public Road, Diamond-Grove bypass Road, New Demerara River Bridge, East Coast Demerara to East Bank Demerara bypass road, Cemetery Road Expansion Project, upgrading of sections of Aubrey Barker Road, rehabilitation and upgrading of Lamaha Street; Sheriff Street to Middleton Street and Middleton Street to Station Street, road widening project from Conversation Tree Road to Dennis Street, and the East Coast Demerara Road (ECD) improvement project.