Gov’t taking legal action against Chung’s Global for substandard work – Dr Anthony

sultations to create a strategic plan to strengthen and develop the country’s solid waste management system.

Minister Dharamlall urged the Opposition Members of Parliament to join the government in advocating for proper disposal of garbage across the country.

He stressed that the national clean up exercise which is being spearheaded by President, Dr Mohamed Irfaan Ali in all regions, has not received any support from the opposition.

“This is a as national issue. And so, Mr. Chairman if you can use your office to encourage the opposition to join this effort as we move towards transforming the aesthetics of Guyana including the city Georgetown,” the minister urged.

The government has started legal proceedings against Chung’s Global Enterprise for a series of issues regarding the contract to build the new Ministry of Health’s Office at Brickdam, Georgetown.

Minister, Dr Frank Anthony made the disclosure on Tuesday (January 31, 2023) in the National Assembly, while responding to questions by Opposition Member of Parliament, Jermaine Figueira regarding the termination of the contract by the PPP/C Government on October 31, 2020.

He noted that the Attorney General and Legal Affairs Minister, Anil Nandlall, SC, has already taken the necessary legal steps against the contractor.

Dr Anthony said the original cost of the project was $365 million and the contract was signed on November 28, 2020.

It was intended to be completed in 12 months and should have commenced some 14 days after the contract signing.

However, according to the Auditor General’s report, at the end of December 2018 little work was done. “Twenty-one months after the signing of the contract, only foundation work was completed and some work was started on the erection of steel frame, and when they visited the site there were three workers on the site, three workers were working,” minister Anthony said.

In fact, the company contracted to supervise the work said there were “many instances” of substandard work.

Minister Anthony noted that on February 11, 2019 ground beams were found to be substandard and these defects were pointed out. Some of the work had to be redone which also added to the cost.

ommended that the head of budget agency take immediate actions to activate the stipulations of the contract including termination of the contract and recovery of the sums paid.

At that point, it was estimated that for the work to be completed the contract had to be increased to about $870 million.

This represented an additional $513.3 million to be added to the $304.5 million that was already paid.

When the performance bond was checked it was already expired one year prior.

The current administration took office in August 2020 and terminated the contract soon after and a new contract was awarded to the tune of $436 million to complete the work.

The Labour Ministry through the Board of Industrial Training (BIT) will continue in its efforts to build a skilled workforce across the country by expending close to $139 million to construct and rehabilitate several training centres.

The ministry plans on constructing an office and training centres at New Amsterdam and Corriverton.

The plot of land at New Amsterdam was provided by the Town Council. This training centre will be constructed to the tune of some $39.9 million.

Labour Minister, Joseph Hamilton while responding to questions posed by the Opposition during the bud- get estimates on Tuesday said the land at Corriverton was gifted to the ministry.

“We plan to execute a project there to build an office and training centre to service the Upper Corentyne,” the minister underlined.

Also, in Region Nine, the minister said, “We have started to use a building that was built and left useless. We are now doing training programmes there”.

He stated that the ministry plans to inject funds at a cost of some $20 million into the building for development and training for North Rupununi.

Rehabilitation works to the tune of $25 million will be injected to complete the Learning and Resource Centre for BIT at Unity.

“The intention for the Unity building is to utilise it as a training centre to certify and accredit persons who already have a skill. So, we have persons who are carpenters, masons, and electricians who don’t have the requisite certification and qualifications,” the Minister said.

Some $10 million will also be injected to complete rehabilitation works at the Bartica Learning Resource Centre for the training of BIT students.

This initiative aligns with the government’s policy of delivering technical and vocational training pro-

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25 smart classrooms to be established in 2023 – Education Minister

In keeping with the Education Ministry’s vision of incorporating technology to transform the education sector, 25 smart classrooms are expected to be established or enhanced at secondary schools across the country in 2023.

The implementation of smart classrooms continues to play a pivotal role to create equity and access to education for all students.

Minister, Priya Manickchand made the disclosure while responding to questions posed by the Opposition on Tuesday (January 31, 2023) in the Parliamentary

Committee of Supply.

The ministry’s efforts to reduce the access gap between students on the coast and those in the hinterland so that quality education could be enjoyed by all, would be aided by the establishment of the smart

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The minister said the contractor received an advance payment of $71.2 million which represented some 20 per cent of the contract sum.

In April 2018, the Ministry of Public Health, as it was called at the time under the APNU+AFC Administration, contracted a supervisory firm to look over the construction of the building.

Also, in 2018, two additional payments were made to Chung’s Global Enterprise.

According to Dr Anthony, the first and second payments were made in the sums of $34.5 million and $48.8 million, respectively.

Public Service Minister, Sonia Parag has reminded that the public sector will see efforts being made to facilitate modernisation, as government is looking to implement an e-governance structure.

She was at the time responding to Opposition Member, Tabitha Sarabo-Halley in relation to the modernisation of the sector. “We are looking at an e-governance structure throughout the public service. In the meanwhile, the ministry is looking to have a software be installed that will be compatible with that when

“The Auditor General recommended that liquidated damages should have been instituted, but there was no evidence that the ministry liquidated any damages. At the end of 2019 the contractor received $304.5 million or about 85 per cent of the contract sum, and payments were made without valuation of six payment certificates, which totaled about $233.1 million, there was no valuation certificate, and works remained incomplete,” the health minister pointed out.

Dr Anthony added that among some of the works to be completed were the ceiling works, painting of the internal and external walls, electrical and AC unit installations, installation the lifts, tiling works, plumbing works and additional furnishing.

He noted that in 2019, the Auditor General rec - it comes onboard,” Minister Parag said.

She noted that this new software will foster interconnectivity among the agencies.

Electronic governance, or e-governance, is the use of electronic software and information technology to deliver government services to the public. The aim is to ensure that personnel of the public service are equipped with the skills to undertake the training programmes which are also slated for this year being facilitated by the Centre for Excellence in Information

“One of the things we are discovering as work is continuing on the building is that the external wall of this facility is porous, in the last rains that we had the building was leaking, water was coming through the supposedly concrete walls, not only is water coming through, mold is now on the walls,” minister Anthony said.

A structural analysis shows that the lifts cannot be accommodated because it could collapse, therefore a new engineering solution is needed.

“With the new contract at the 31st of October,2022, 91 per cent of the works were completed and the project is going to come to an end hopefully at the end of February, so that the staff of the ministry can move into that building, after all that lengthy correction that we had to do” minister Anthony said.

Technology (CEIT).

Meanwhile, the minister disclosed that based on the national needs assessment, the thousands of Guyana Online Academy of Learning (GOAL) scholarships slated for this year will address the needs of the public service and the country as a whole.

The opposition MP had questioned whether the GOAL and Government of Guyana scholarships are meeting the needs of the people, pointing out that many scholarship recipients are