FEDDERS Lloyd Corporations Limited, the Indian Company that lost in the bid to build the Specialty Hospital, at Turkeyen, Greater Georgetown— though it was the lowest bidder at the time—to Surrendra Engineering, has now offered to complete the project at no extra cost.Mr. Ajay Jha, representative for the company’s America’s portfolio, during an exclusive interview with the Guyana Chronicle yesterday said his company has already assessed the designs for the project, and concluded it could deliver on the project.

He said financing for the project would naturally come from the residual US$14.7M on the Indian Line of Credit (LoC) for the project, in addition to incorporating another US$1M, which was meant for Surendra Engineering for the delivery of a number of pumps for the Ministry of Agriculture.
According to Mr. Jha, the previous administration had already begun talks with the Indian Government and its representatives with a view to having the US$1M remaining on the “Pumps Project” to be re-applied to the Specialty Hospital for its completion.
Both projects entered into by the previous administration with Surendra Engineering—Supply of Pumps and Specialty Hospital—were embroiled in a myriad of controversies with the government eventually sacking the company executing the project and moving to the courts to recover lost monies.
According to the Fedders Lloyd representative, earlier this year when former President Donald Ramotar visited India, he had an opportunity to meet with the then President and discuss the Specialty Hospital Project.
Mr Jha said Ramtoar had indicated a willingness to move in the direction of having Fedders Lloyd complete the project.
He said he met with both Ramotar and the then Guyana High Commissioner to India, Ronald Gajraj.
He told the Guyana Chronicle that Fedders Lloyd is interested in not only completing the Specialty Hospital for the Guyana Government, but is in fact looking to have a stronger presence in the Guyana market.
According to the Fedders Lloyd representative, the company is a conglomerate, and as such would be able to absorb not making any profit in completing the Specialty Hospital, using the current design and residual money on the LoC from India.
He pointed out further that since it is in fact a Line of Credit from the Government of India being used to fund the project, a Line of Credit that would have been approved three years ago with a five-year grace period on interest repayments and such like, time is of the essence.
The company representative indicated that since the money was approved in 2012, three years would have already elapsed into the grace period, something that will not be renegotiated by the Indian Government.
He said the Guyana Government essentially has access to the money to finish the hospital, but the moratorium on the repayments is quickly coming to an end with the project currently at a standstill.
Mr Jha said, too, that during the time of meeting with Ramotar and the then Guyana High Commissioner to India, Gajraj, he was essentially told that Fedders Lloyd should have been given the project in the first place.
Alliance For Change (AFC), Leader Khemraj Ramjattan, now National Security Minister, had vociferously opposed the project being awarded to Surendra Engineering, especially since it had never built a hospital anywhere in the world and that there had been lower bidders.
Ramjattan was lambasted by the now Opposition leaders–then in Government– of wanting to protect a conflict of interest.
The company’s representative when asked about the relationship it shared with the now Public Security Minister, said while Mr Ramjattan’s advice was sought and he was collaborated with during the time, at no time was he ever officially retained as the company’s attorney, nor was he paid nor was the matter ever in court.
Mr Jha maintains that much of what had been published in relation to Ramjattan’s affiliation with Fedders Lloyd, was in fact inaccurate.
Mr Jha told the Guyana Chronicle that had the matter actually evolved into litigation, then the company would have retained Ramjattan as their lawyer, but this did not obtain.
He told the Guyana Chronicle that following his January meeting with then President Ramotar, it was the 2015 General and Regional Elections which placed a hold on all of the talks on moving forward on the project; but now that the election phase has passed, the company is looking to make investments locally.
According to Jha, the matter of the completion of the Specialty Hospital by Fedders Lloyd was a matter up for discussion recently when President David Granger, met with Indian High Commissioner to Guyana, His Excellency VenkatachalamMahalingam at the Ministry of the Presidency this past week.