-work in progress at others

WITH its mandate to provide betterment for all Guyanese, the Government of Guyana through the Ministry of Legal Affairs is fervently working to provide a better judicial system by renovating and establishing several courts in various areas.

Minister of Legal Affairs and Attorney General, Anil Nandlall in an exclusive interview with this publication, last Friday, at his office at Carmichael Street, Georgetown indicated that while some of the Courts have been completed and will soon become operational, work is in progress at others.
He noted that when the construction of the courts have been completed, it is the responsibility of the judiciary to have them become operational.
Nandlall pointed out that the Wales Magistrates’ Court on West Bank Demerara, the Leonora Magistrates’ Court on the West Coast Demerara and the rehabilitation of the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court have been completed.
The minister also disclosed that air condition units have been installed in all the courtrooms, magistrates’ chambers and all other offices in the buildings. However, the acquisition of additional furnishing is still ongoing.
He noted that while additional furniture is being awaited upon, he has been informed by the acting Registrar of the Supreme Court of Judicature, Mr Rashid Mohammed that existing furniture which had been removed from the court will be returned and this process was said to have started last Friday.

FAMILY COURT
The Attorney General said that he was also informed by the Registrar that the furnishing of the Family Court is still in progress. The Guyana Prison Service was contracted to do most of the work, but this has not yet been completed.
This new facility will handle issues such as divorce, division of property, domestic matters, adoption, guardianship and custody.
The new two-storey building has replicated the architectural style of the Supreme Court as well as its adjoining mediation centre and library.

UNSATISFACTORY WORK PERFORMANCE
Nandlall disclosed that he was informed by the Registrar, that with regard to the Lethem Magistrates’ Court, the original contract was awarded to Horizon Electrical and Associates in July 2011 and termed phase one for the construction of the building. Another contract, termed phase two was awarded, again, to Horizon in July 2012 for external works.
Despite several extensions being granted to the contractor, only 87 percent of the works on phase 1 (construction of the building) and 90 percent on phase 2 (external works) have been completed.
The Registrar also reported that both projects were terminated on May 21, 2013 for unsatisfactory work performance. Another contract titled phase 3 was awarded by the National Procurement and Tender Administration Board (NPTAB) in October to R. Kissoon Contracting Services to complete both of the projects.
Materials have already been purchased for the construction of court furnishings and works are moving smoothly and the completion date is expected to be in February 2014.

Linden Magistrates’ Court
The Registrar in his report to the Legal Affairs Minister noted that phases 1 and 2 of the Linden Magistrates’ Court project were awarded to Horizon Electrical Associates and General Construction in November 2011 and July 2012 respectively, but, as in the case of the Lethem Magistrates’ Court, the contracts were terminated in May 2013 for unsatisfactory work performance.
Another contract was awarded by the NPTAB to Pioneer General Construction to complete both of the projects by November 2013 (phase three) but as October approached, only five percent of the works have been completed.
After some amount of delays, the contractor was contacted and work has restarted with an undertaking that the project would be completed by December 2013.

(By Savitri Laikram)