-Gov’t to finance project
THE administration will be effecting repairs to the Supenaam Stelling following input from several technical experts, Head of the Presidential Secretariat, Dr. Roger Luncheon on Friday told the media at a post-Cabinet briefing.
He noted that government is focused on “getting it right this time” and will no longer countenance the blame shifting.
Dr. Luncheon stated that, “We were not surprised and you should not be surprised that no one ever stood up and said I would accept the blame. And it seems quite appropriate not to make that the dominant activity.”
He noted that a new design will be pursued as the administration’s focus is on repairing the stelling and making it serviceable.
“I pointed out that trying to allocate blame has unleashed a series of interventions, by the Prime Minister and by Cabinet, and for all intents and purposes it was essentially inconclusive. The blame was being shifted right across the board from the designers, from the state agency that accepted the design, from the contractors that executed the design to the sub-contractors,” he said.
Last May, it was discovered that the stelling, which was funded and supervised by the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB), had structural deficiencies and could not be utilized appropriately after only four days of operation.
Prime Minister Samuel Hinds was subsequently mandated to oversee a review of the cause of these deficiencies and to locate those culpable to derive justice and make them pay for failing to comply with their contractual obligations.
This proved futile and Government last year decided to finance the rehabilitation of the structure.
Following the issuance of a certificate of completion by the Ministry of Local Government and Regional Development to the contractor, BK International, the facility was handed over to the Ministry of Public Works and Communications. Several areas were subsequently identified that needed rectification.
Modifications were as a result carried out by the Public Works Ministry to strengthen the structure, after the contractor and supervising consultant refused to remedy the facility without additional payment.
Several questions were also raised as to the structural integrity of the ferry stelling and engineers from the Transport and Harbours Department were advised to present a report on the issue of flotation capabilities of the facility.
The report identified a problem with flotation safety as it relates to the safe loading and off-loading of trucks.
The construction of the stelling is a part of government’s strategic development plan for the Essequibo Coast.