The road that passed through the world’s longest cemetery, Le Repentir in Georgetown, was not completed on Monday August 12, 2024 as promised by Minister of Public Works, Juan Edghill. The Cemetery Road Expansion project, from Princess Street to Mandela Avenue, commenced in October 2022 with a scheduled completion date of July 19, 2023. The project is more than a year overdue.
The project was awarded to Avinash Construction and Metal Works at a cost of $475M funded by taxpayers.
Tuesday afternoon a visit was made to the project site by People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR) Member of Parliament (MP) Annette Ferguson to verify the veracity of the minister’s promise.
The MP returned on Wednesday August 14, 2024 and found the situation the same, that is, the bridge to the eastern carriageway is not opened to vehicular traffic and work remains ongoing.
The minister on Saturday promised the road will be “fully completed” on Monday.
Ferguson told Village Voice News while on the ground the following observations was made:
- Works are still in progress.
- Workers were seen preparing a footpath bridge between Laing Avenue and Middle Road.
- Equipment were on site.
- Works were being done on the bridge on the Eastern Carriageway.
- Portion of road (Eastern Carriageway) between Middle Road and Success Street was still to be asphalted.
The MP lambasted the government for its continuous failure of meeting deadlines, wasting taxpayers’ money and not being honest with the public.
She recalled that it was Minister Edghill who conducted a site visit on Saturday August 10, 2024, and reportedly said that “within the next 48 hours, the site will be cleaned up and the machines and everything will be removed.” Guyanese would be in order to ask when the count for his 48 hours begin, she quipped.
Drawing a contrast between what was promised and has actually been done, the MP stated “it is clear that the Hon. Minister Edghill was unsure when the final works will be completed, since the evidence will show what was reported on Saturday August 10, 2024 and my findings on yesterday, August 13 and today August 13, are vastly different.”
Upbraiding the minister for interfering in the work of the technicians rather than allow them to provide the status report, the parliamentarian said ministers are too caught up in propaganda bliss not integrity.
Ferguson is also demanding answers since the project has time and cost overrun. The parliamentarian said the public deserves to know:
- What is the final cost of the project?
- How the variance in cost was offset since Budget 2024 did not cater nor approve additional monies for the project?
- Since additional contractors were placed on the project what are the costs paid to these contractors?
