By Stabroek News
Copyright stabroeknews
Minister of Local Government Priya Manickchand is not letting up on the contractors of the long-delayed Bamia Primary School in Region Ten.
In an update posted on her Facebook page yesterday, the minister detailed: “Two weeks in: civil works still slower than are required to meet the deadline but simultaneous work is happening to prepare for earliest occupation. Contractors are loved and we want to see them flourish and that is manifested by their receipt of work, but they have to love the children and citizens we have sworn to serve in the same way. Nothing less is acceptable. Daily project management is part of the strategy for completion. Bamia Primary WILL finish.” The post was accompanied by five photographs which showed people working in sections of the school’s interior..
Sources close to the project indicate that the new target is for the building to be ready for student occupation by mid-October, with full project completion expected to follow shortly thereafter.
The construction of the Bamia Primary School has faced delays for over two years, forcing students to attend classes under challenging conditions.
The minister made the school’s completion a priority since taking office earlier this month. She visited the site the next day and put the contractors, Rawle Ferguson and Kerwin Bollers of St8tement Investment Inc, on notice that failure to meet the deadline would result in their termination.
During a live video broadcast from the school site on September 14, Manickchand emphasized the urgency of the situation. “The contractors have been told that it’s either they finish this or come off the project, so we’re very clear about what we want for the children who are going to attend here. That’s serious business for us,” she stated.
To ensure the project moves forward decisively, Minister Manickchand announced the immediate assignment of a dedicated project manager to be permanently stationed at the site. This move is a direct response to repeated, unfulfilled assurances from the contractor that the project was nearing completion.
