CONSTRUCTION of the supporting infrastructure for the Indian Immigration Monument at Palmyra Village, on the Corentyne is slated to begin on Tuesday and is expected to be completed by next month-end.

According to the Department of Public Information (DPI), this project entails the construction of the monument base and podium, as well as peripheral components such as the walkway, landscaping details, internal drainage, roadway, lighting, visitor’s gallery, security hut and fencing.

“Through the provision of roadway access and designated parking lots, the Ministry trusts that this project will serve to enhance the area and attract visitors and locals as a national focal commemoration of our country’s ancestry represented in part by the East Indians who came to Guyana as indentured immigrants,” the DPI said.

The scope of works for the project is sub- divided into eight lots, the first of which has to do with Construction of Monument Foundation, Base and Podium.
Lot Two has to do with Construction of Roadway, Internal Drains, Perimeter Walkway and Parking Area;
Lot Three: Construction of Fencing and Internal Walkway; Lot Four Construction of Visitor’s Gallery and Security Hut;
Lot Five: Supply and Installation of Concrete Pavers (Roadway and Parking Lot);
Lot Six: Supply and Installation of Concrete Pavers (Perimeter Walkway and Internal Landscaping;
Lot Seven: Civil Works Supervision of Services;
and Lot Eight: Preparation of Internal and External Landscaping.
Thus far, two contracts have been awarded to local companies for Lots One and Two by the National Procurement and Tender Administration Board.
Lot One has been awarded by to Raffik & Sons General Building Contractors for a sum of G$28,643,897, while Lot Two has been awarded to A&A Engineering Services for a sum of G$34,867,217.

The contracts for the outstanding lots shall be awarded by the end of the third quarter of 2018, as works are ongoing.

“In honour of the continued relationship between nations, this monument was gifted to the Government of Guyana by the Government of the Republic of India as a symbol of cultural and historical celebration.”

The 12×12 monument is sculpted in bronze, and is a visual representation of ordinary Indian people in routine everyday life, with each bearing a significant artifact as an ode to the continued traditions brought by our forefathers from India translated to current livelihood and practices by Guyanese today.