THE Regional Administration, Region 5 (Mahaica/Berbice) has said that a report in the Stabroek News of Sunday July 7, 2013 captioned: “Burma Road broken up two weeks after $7.5M rehab works” is inaccurate and malicious.

The Stabroek News report had stated, among other things, that with millions spent two weeks ago on rehabilitating the five-mile stretch of road at Burma, Mahaicony, residents in the area are in disbelief at its current deteriorated condition.
Stabroek News had reported that it was only last month that a $7.5M contract was inked for the general rehabilitation of the road and yet it had become as bad as when money was not yet spent on it.

WORK NOT FULLY STARTED
Yesterday, Regional Executive Officer, Ashford Ambedkar explained that contrary to what was reported in the Stabroek News, the work on the road has not fully started much less been completed.
He said that Contract No. 306/13 for General Maintenance Burma Branch Road at the cost of $7,495,800 was signed on May 29, 2013 between the Regional Democratic Council, Region 5 and Contractor Shereaz Bacchus.
This contract entails placing, and compacting 4” crusher run into position in isolated sections of the roadway and applying RC250 bitumen which will see the said sections of road being completed to a DBST surface or bitumen surface.
Ambedkar said that because of the current weather pattern which is unsuitable for road construction, only the mobilization of equipment, clearing of road shoulders and cleaning, squaring and cutting of  existing pot holes has actually been done.
He said that the approximately 10% of the work completed so far had been forced because of requests from farmers and residents who wanted to be able to get to and from the SAJ rice mill located in the area.
Ambedkar said that the substantive work will resume as soon as the weather pattern changes.
Ambedkar stressed too that only 20% of mobilization has been paid to the contractor and this payment had been supported by an advance mobilization bond which was supplied by the contractor to cover the said amount paid.
Chiding the Stabroek News for its inaccurate and malicious report, the Regional Executive Officer said that it will be appreciated if contact can be made with its officers to acquire the relevant facts or to get a response from them, prior to printing stories on any matter relating to their work.