… blames sea defence breaches on BK International
Minister within the Ministry of Public Works, Deodat Indar, was either grossly misinformed or was being mischievous when he launched an attack against BK International during his budget presentation, yesterday.
Soon after assuming office, he travelled with Minister Juan Edghill to Mahaicony where a number of sea defence breaches existed.
“Upon resumption of duty on the second day in office I took to Content, Mahaicony because there were breaches there for infrastructure that had long passed the time that the contractor was supposed to fix it.
“Water came in and damaged a whole lot of property, livestock and the livelihood of the people of Region Five.”
Indar said that the contractor refused to fix the breach within the three to four months assigned for the job.
Commenting on the four months claim, Chief Engineer attached to BK International, Ganesh Sawh, said BK was awarded the contract in June. He was ordered to the area in the face of a failing contractor.
However, the contract design was not provided until August 8, last. That contract for sealing a 500-metre breach was completed within one month, on September 8, 2020.
BK International was nowhere in the area when the breach developed so he could not have been responsible for the breaches, Sawh said.
BK International could not have caused the breach as stated by Indar, Sawh added.
And these breaches had developed because of the lack of attention paid to the sea defence during the tenure of the PPP.
“There were other contractors that finished. That particular contractor was not able to finish. Mismanagement of that project cost the residents of that Region untold amount of damage,” Indar said.
Chief Engineer, Ganesh Sawh, said that the Minister was grossly misinformed or was being disingenuous when he said that other contractors finished the job.
Sawh said that a contractor, A and S, was working in the area when the breach developed.
He said that BK International was invited to the area when A&S could not seal the breach even as other breaches were developing at the site.
But Indar said that accompanied by Minister Edghill, he remedied the situation.
He said that one breach that resulted from the first one was also fixed.
“The name of the new contractor is M&B. The name of the contractor that was not doing the work is BK International.”
Sawh said that Indar should ask himself how so many breaches are developing at Danzig when a contractor is already working there.
The new contractor was assigned the contract to seal a 100-metre breach at a cost of $168 million.
The contract cost to seal the 500-metre breach undertaken by BK International was $352 million.
Compared to the contract awarded to BK International, which was $70 million per 100 metres, M&B is enjoying a far more lucrative contract.
And he is still working to seal the breach that Indar said has been fixed.
