CRITICISMS levied against BK International – the company currently operating the Haags Bosch Sanitary Landfill (HBSL) project, recently by Minister of Communities, Ronald Bulkan, were deemed to be “personal attacks” as described by Brian Tiwari, Chairman of the BK Group of Companies, yesterday.But when contacted for a comment in relation to Tiwari’s comment last evening, the Minister urged that, “He [Tiwari] should send me a dismissal letter if he thinks I’m not doing my job.”
Last week, Bulkan in an interview with this publication, had disclosed that the funding agent for the project – the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), was unwilling to continue funding the project until the contractor for the operation was removed.
The Minister had further expressed that both the financial institution and the Ministry were, “dissatisfied and unhappy” with the contractor’s quality of work, which was one of the factors contributing to the IDB’s withholding of additional funds.
But prior to these developments, Bulkan had disclosed that the then Local Government Ministry had written to the contractor, requesting that he vacate the site, but was greeted with an active response from Mr. Tiwari who moved to the courts and sought to stay that action for the ministry to show just cause why they should terminate his contract. The court document which supported the Minister’s claim in this regard was presented yesterday by Tiwari during a walk about of the Haags Bosch Landfill site.
Initiating litigation, as was described by Bulkan, was not wise of BK, since, according to him, “he [Tiwari] was not in fulfillment with a lot of the requirements that he was expected to deliver on.”
In his defense, however, Tiwari clarified that he has been executing the project as is outlined in the contract. “There is nothing in the contract that says we are at fault” he said, adding that the Minister’s criticisms are arising from an ill-informed position since he believes that Bulkan has not read the contract.
Tiwari further argued that the contract had been a “vague” one with many shortcomings, including one of which was the description of the wrong piece of machinery to be used on the site.
After realising that the then Government of Guyana could not afford a single piece of equipment, Tiwari related that the IDB then offered that the contract be revised. He revealed however that this was never done.
Additionally, the Chairman posited that another of his concerns was a comment made by the Minister as was reported in the media that there was no contractor that could provide a lesser quality of work on the landfill site.
“I take that personally” a stern Tiwari said, suggesting that these comments were made because the two had been “wrangling” before the Minister’s assumption to Governmental office.
“The Minister is trying to get directly to BK because we had a conflicting arrangement since last year. I’m ready to challenge any international or local contractor; we broke the monopoly. I know the Minister is new and he runs his own business but he should go back to his article and read some of the articles where we have done well,” Tiwari advised.
At this point, he hinted at the “Torani Canal” which he deemed as a successful project, which, after an international company failed to build it, BK International successfully completed.
In response to this, the Communities Minister questioned why it was that Tiwari omitted from his presentation the controversial Black Bush Polder Road which his company was responsible for constructing.
Reiterating that the criticisms raised by the Minister last week were “personal attacks”, Tiwari added that the access road to the landfill had been a failed project which he was not allowed to tender for. According to him, the contractor’s quality of work was not criticised though it lasted one year as opposed to a stipulated life-span of three years.
But Bulkan is of an opposing conviction, suggesting that the damage of the access road could have been done by the heavy duty machinery and trucks which traverse multiple times a day.
But Tiwari is taking it further than just the media. In fact, he revealed yesterday that he is currently exploring legal actions against the Minister for suggesting that there is no company which could provide a lesser quality of work at the site than BK International.
Tiwari also revealed that he is not refusing to leave the project, but rather, he is willing to leave when the company is financially compensated in excess of US$9M which the Government currently owes for the period June 2014 to present.
Additionally, it was highlighted that the landfill, which was initially contemplated to process 80,000 tonnes of waste a year, is now processing more than 140,000 tonnes, causing BK to expend more on fuel, equipment, maintenance, personnel and the like, more than quadrupling contemplated operational expenses, and the Ministry is not paying BK.
“I will challenge the Minister and I will work with him everyday” Tiwari told the media, adding that “we had a meeting with the AG and he said he’ll find a solution to the problem. But after the AG’s meeting with us, Bulkan has changed his tune,” the Chairman said.
Tiwari also took a blow at Bulkan’s logging company, noting that, “He has to tell the country that his company is in receivership, not me; I’m not in receivership; his company the previous Government took to court.”
“I’m willing to take the Minister on for him to show me where I’m dishonest, where I owe people, and whatever I did wrong. He must say if I am corrupt or what I’m doing wrong here. Thirty something days in office but he knows it’s a ticking time bomb” the BK Group of companies chairman said, adding that “he [Bulkan] came with revenge from a year and a half ago.”
The Minister’s final response to these claims was that, “he [Tiwari] is creating his own sets of rules.”