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Cracks in newly built Schoonord to Crane highway not a problem – Pres. Ali  Sep 09, 2024 News Kaieteur News – Several defects have been highlighted at sections of the newly commissioned Schoonord to Crane highway. The $15.1 billion four lane highway was commissioned by President Ifraan Ali just over a week ago to help alleviate traffic congestion in Region Three. The cement walkway for the $15 billion road has already started to crumble However, Kaieteur News visited the Highway just a few days after it opened and found sections of the walkway to the newly built road already crumbling. The issue was first highlighted by social media commentator Francis Michael Bailey. Bailey shared a video in which he pointed out a number of issues with the road.  Bailey pointed out that though new, the road was already patched at some parts. In addition, the area that was left as a walkway for commuters had a number of defects including cracks, and the exposed rebars made from steel which is a tripping hazard for pedestrians. Foreign objects such as plastic and pieces of wood appeared to be mixed into the blocks that made the walkway giving it a rough finish. Additionally, Bailey pointed out that the cement work applied to the structure appeared to be shoddy. ”This is very, very poor casting work…The covers [of the walkway]are supposed to be individual units over the drains that can be moved  but they have come along here applied at a very cheap casting over the top of it so apparently now it’s not supposed to move…” the social media user pointed out in the video. Plastic and wood are among the foreign object seen protruding from concrete structure used to create a walkway Bailey noted too that where the cracks appear in the cement walkway is due to foreign objects such plywood being left in the structure. “Under where you see the cracks are because you still have plywood in the structure that going to make it deteriorate,” he said.  Added to this, the social media user noted the contractor who was hired to complete sections of the road already had to do remedial work to it. “If you look closely you see that they would have already had to patch the road at some parts…” Bailey pointed out. He questioned how the recently built road can be already in need of rehabilitation and how was it possible for local engineers to certify the clearly “substandard work” as complete. In a subsequent video shared on social media, President Ali brushed aside the concerns about the road labeling it as “empty noise” “There is absolutely no concern about the Schoonord road project…there are some drain covers and these are covers that the form still be removed this is ongoing and there is a long defects liability period so this is just empty noise,” the Head of State said in response to questions from the press on the state of the road. There are visible signs that the newly commissioned road has been repaired $15.1 billion contract for the road was signed back in September 2022 by the Ministry of Housing and Water, Central Housing and Planning Authority (CH&PA) after it was awarded through the national tendering process. The new four-lane project was built by eight contractors and done in eight lots. The contractors include: R Construction Inc, Avinash Contracting & Scrap Metal Inc, L-Heureuse Construction and Services Inc, Guyamerica Construction Inc, AJM Enterprise, Vals Construction, Puran Bros Disposal Inc, and JS Guyana Inc. The road measures some 4.1km of dual carriageway reinforced concrete road and some of the features of the highway includes an emergency lane, medians, the rehabilitation of 2.4km of roadways, two roundabouts, 11 reinforced concrete box culverts, 36 pre-stressed bridges, road signage and markings. In his address at the commissioning ceremony, the Head of State said that this highway is just the first phase of the highway that would lead to Parika. “This is not just about the Schoonord to Crane highway this is about the realisation of a grand vision, that vision that seeks to transform every single region of our country.” “The infrastructure interlink that we are talking about is to position Guyana as a major transport and logistics hub, it is to open up the opportunities in tourism and it is to expand the opportunities in agriculture,” he explained during his remarks. Minister of Housing and Water, Collin Croal said that the road project forms part of government’s infrastructure vision which is “to lift our people out of poverty and to create the condition for economic growth and development in every region.” The minister went onto state that this highway will immediately bring further development, reduce travel times, reduce traffic congestion and “open new opportunities for entrepreneurship which bodes well for the long-term viability of West Demerara and its prospect for further development.” Related Similar Articles

Excavator operator dies in freak accident Sep 09, 2024 News Kaieteur News – An excavator operator hailing from Turkeyen Greater Georgetown died on Saturday in a freak accident when the excavator the machine he was offloading from a truck fell on him. Dead is 49 year old Joseph Hollingsworth. According to police the incident occurred around 09:30 hrs. at Coglan Dam, Pouderoyen, West Bank Demerara. Reports revealed that Hollingsworth was with businessman Travis Pierpont who hired him to transport the heavy-duty machine from Coglan Dam, Pouderoyen, West Bank Demerara. This was to be done using a truck owned by the man, registration number GAE 4266. Upon loading the excavator onto the truck, when he was about to drive off Hollingsworth realised that it was too heavy as the truck was not moving, since it couldn’t take off the weight of the excavator. He decided to offload the machine and while in the process of doing so the excavator fell off of the truck and into a drain pinning him there. He was rescued by public-spirited citizens and rushed to the West Demerara Hospital, but was pronounced dead on arrival by a doctor on duty.  The body of the deceased was then transported to the Ezekiel Funeral Home, awaiting a post-mortem examination. Related Similar Articles

US yet to pass on to Guyana info on alleged tax evasion, gold smuggling – Jagdeo Sep 09, 2024 News Kaieteur News – Over a month after the Attorney General Anil Nandlall had written to the United States Department of Justice requesting information on the alleged gold smuggling and the sanction of three Guyanese citizens they are yet to get a response. Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo This was disclosed by Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo on Thursday during his weekly press conference at Freedom House on Robb Street. Responding to media queries Jagdeo told reporters:  “On the gold mining sector, too you’d recall we have asked for information from the US government about the gold smuggling because we don’t have that information and we have asked the US government to share the information. We have not received it as yet and you should ask the attorney general where it is at this point in time but we have not received it as yet,” he added. Attorney General (AG) and Minister of Legal Affairs, had revealed on a recent episode of his weekly programme ‘Issues in the News’ that he has dispatched the requisite request to the United States Department of the Treasury for information on the sanctions imposed on two Guyanese businessmen and a senior government official. The U.S. Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) imposed sanctions on Guyanese billionaire Nazar Mohamed, his son Azruddin Mohamed on allegations of tax evasion and the then Permanent Secretary (PS) for the Ministry of Labour, Mae Thomas for allegedly misusing her position to offer benefits, like government contracts to the Mohameds. The AG had said, it is being alleged that these persons are accused by the Office of International Affairs of the Department of Justice, Criminal Division of committing a number of criminal offences in Guyana. “The Government of Guyana has already made it very clear that these grave allegations of criminal conduct will be thoroughly investigated by the relevant law enforcement agencies of the state and in this regard we have requested the information and the evidence etcetera that are in the possession of the American authorities and we did so under the relevant Treaty,” he explained. Previously, Dr. Ashni K. Singh, Senior Minister in the Office of the President with Responsibility for Finance and the Public Service announced that the U.S. informed the government that the request for information must be sent by Guyana’s Attorney General to the U.S. Department of Justice, which will then work with OFAC to gather source documentation on the matter. “Our Government will now submit the request following the process advised. We will also continue to pursue, through the appropriate channel, the relevant information covered by the Tax Information Exchange Agreement. This Agreement provides for the exchange of information to administer and enforce laws concerning the taxes specified therein, to assure the accurate assessment and collection of taxes to prevent fiscal fraud and evasion, and to develop improved information sources for tax matters,” Dr. Singh said. Following the sanctions handed down by OFAC, Dr. Singh and Commissioner General of the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA), Godfrey Statia wrote to the U.S. authorities seeking more information about the sanctions. Dr. Singh wrote to the U.S. Department of the Treasury while the Commissioner General under the ambit of the Tax Information Exchange Agreement between Guyana and the US, has been in contact with the American authorities. Moreover, United States Ambassador to Guyana, Nicole Theriot on June 14, 2024 on the sideline of an event at the U.S. Embassy in Georgetown, said the sanctions, are the result of over two and a half years of investigations by U.S. authorities. Ambassador Theriot highlighted the gravity of the offenses that led to these sanctions. She stated, “We reserve these types of sanctions for gross levels of corruption and human rights abuses.” Theriot went on to explain that, “it’s a very high bar, we do not do this lightly. This is something that we ensure that we have a preponderance of evidence before we’re ready to levy the sanctions and we had that in this case against the three individuals who were sanctioned.” Related Similar Articles

Pedal cyclist dead after allegedly turning in path of car Sep 09, 2024 News Kaieteur News – A pedal cyclist is now dead after he allegedly rode into the path of a motor car on Friday night on Delhi Street, Prashad Nagar, Georgetown. Deceased is 30 year old Marlon Fraser. In a statement to the media police said that the accident occurred around 20:20 hrs on Delhi Street and it involved a motorcar PAC 1898 and a pedal cyclist. Police reported that the car which was being driven by 27-year-old Shaquille Benjamin was headed south along the “eastern drive lane of Delhi Street while the pedal cyclist was proceeding in the said direction on the eastern edge of the road. It is alleged that the pedal cyclist made an attempt to cross Delhi Street from east to west into the path of the motor car.” The driver told police that even though he took evasive action, the left front side of the car collided with the pedal cyclist and subsequently he fell onto the road’s surface. He suffered injuries about his body and police and the emergency medical services were summoned. However, he was pronounced dead by a doctor from the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation.  The body was escorted to the Memorial Gardens Funeral Home awaiting post-mortem examination and an investigation is ongoing. Related Similar Articles

US$10B of ExxonMobil’s US$14B assets are oil wells – Annual Report Sep 09, 2024 News Oil spill protection for Guyana? Screenshot of Exxon’s Assets Kaieteur News – Is Guyana really protected from the financial burdens associated with an oil spill disaster that can occur at ExxonMobil’s ongoing Stabroek Block operations? This question would perhaps be best addressed by the Guyana Government that has since joined an appeal against a High Court order for an unlimited oil spill guarantee. President, ExxonMobil Guyana Limited, Alistair Routledge The country’s financial line of defence or response to such an event includes a US$600 million insurance package, offered by a company owned by ExxonMobil, a US$2B oil spill guarantee, and assets which the company said can be sold to take care of its liabilities. A look at the company’s 2023 Annual Report however raises further concerns about Guyana’s preparedness to respond to any such event, as more than half of Exxon’s assets are production wells, located several thousands of feet below the water surface. According to the company’s 2023 Annual Report, at the end of December 2023, Exxon’s assets, including vehicles, buildings, wells and facilities in progress, production wells and facilities as well as other right of use equipment such as the FPSOs, drill rigs and others, totaled almost $3 trillion (GYD) or US$14B. Notably, the wells and facilities in progress and the production wells and facilities account for just over US$10B. This therefore raises the question of whether Exxon will cash out the wells and facilities to pay for an oil spill. At previous press engagements, President of ExxonMobil Guyana Limited (EMGL), Alistair Routledge boasted of his company’s assets as a primary form of financial assurance. He said citizens should note that this is separate from the assets of the other Stabroek Block co-venturers who also have substantial assets and share any liability for response activities. Last week Kaieteur News reported Exxon can recover costs from Guyana’s oil that exceeds the insurance provided. This is according to the 2016 Production Sharing Agreement (PSA) Guyana signed with ExxonMobil and its partners.  ExxonMobil affiliate ExxonMobil Guyana Limited is operator and holds 45% interest in the Stabroek block. Hess Guyana Exploration Ltd. holds 30% interest, and CNOOC Petroleum Guyana Limited holds 25% interest. Annex ‘C’ Section 3 of the PSA, which addresses costs recoverable without the approval of the Minister, makes it explicit at 3.1(g) that insurance and losses can be recovered. It states: “Insurance premium and cost incurred for insurance pursuant to Article 20 provided that if such insurance is wholly or partly placed with an Affiliated Company of the Parties comprising the Contractor, such premium and costs shall be recoverable only to the extent generally charged by competitive insurance companies other than an Affiliated Company of a Party comprising the Contractor.” The contract continues, “Costs, losses and damages incurred to the extent not made good by insurance, are recoverable, including costs, losses or damages resulting from the indemnities in Article 2 of the Agreement, unless such costs, losses or damages have resulted solely from an act of willful misconduct or gross negligence of the Contractor.” This means that Guyana will have to prove that an oil spill was caused by gross negligence or willful misconduct by Exxon for those costs to be borne by the company.  Cognizant of the damage that can be done by an oil spill, two Guyanese went to Court demanding an unlimited parent company guarantee, which is a signed document that legally binds Exxon to cover costs above the limited insurance. High Court Judge, Justice Sandil Kissoon on May 3, 2023 ordered the Environmental Protection Agency, (EPA) to issue an Enforcement Notice to Exxon Mobil to ensure it provides an unlimited oil spill coverage to safeguard Guyana, but the ruling was subsequently appealed by both Exxon and the EPA. The government was later added as a party to the case, fighting against the provision of this guarantee. While the Court of Appeal deliberates on the matter, Exxon, Hess and CNOOC have lodged a US$2B oil spill guarantee to cover damages above the insurance.  Citizens have however continued to call for full protection against an oil spill, especially since such a disaster could not only affect Guyana, but Caribbean nations as well. Notably, the modelling results showed that an unmitigated oil spill can reach Trinidad and Tobago, Aruba, Bonaire, Curaçao, Grenada, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, St. Lucia, Martinique, and Barbados as well as Dominican Republic, Haiti, and Jamaica. Related Similar Articles

Nigel Hughes challenges Jagdeo to explain giveaway of Kaieteur and Canje oil blocks days before 2015 elections Sep 09, 2024 News Kaieteur News – Leader of the Alliance For Change (AFC), Nigel Hughes has challenged Vice President and General Secretary of the People’s Progressive Party, Bharrat Jagdeo to clear the air on the questionable giveaway of two of Guyana’s largest offshore oil blocks, the Kaieteur and Canje, days before the 2015 elections. Leader of the Alliance For Change, Nigel Hughes The prominent Attorney-at-Law, during the AFC’s weekly press conference, was responding to Jagdeo’s invitation to address corruption during the APNU/AFC’s tenure in government between 2015 and 2020. Perhaps, Hughes, said, it would be of greater significance if the past President could explain the suspicious giveaway of the oil blocks. “As Mr. Jagdeo has invited us to address the issue of corruption, he perhaps would like to tell us why within the last month before the 2015 elections two oil blocks, during an election campaign period, where the government activity is supposed to be reduced to running the basics, why two oil blocks- the Canje and Kaieteur Blocks were actually allocated,” Hughes urged. The lawyer was keen to point out that there was no public advertisement, no invitation to purchase, and no criteria provided upon which the two prime blocks were allocated. Vice President, Bharrat Jagdeo Nevertheless, he reminded, “Those blocks have since changed hands at millions of US dollars and these were allocated within a month of the 2015 election so if we want to have a serious discussion as a country about corruption, which we should, we must be willing to discuss corruption (under the PPP).” The Canje Block was awarded by the Donald Ramotar administration on March 4, 2015, days before that year’s General and Regional Elections, to a local company, Mid-Atlantic Oil and Gas. Similarly, the Kaieteur Block was awarded on April 28, 2015, just two weeks before the elections, and like the Canje Block, it was done based on the advice of former Minister of Natural Resources, Robert Persaud, Ramotar had said. Two companies received the blocks with 50-50 stakes – Ratio Energy Limited (now Cataleya Energy Limited) and Ratio Guyana Limited. The award of the oil blocks to the companies was especially concerning since the ultra-deep drilling is required for those blocks, a technique which only a handful of companies in the world have the technology, track record, and capability to execute. The red flags which have manifested in both situations include that the awards were given to unqualified companies, that the initial owners quickly flipped the blocks without doing any work, that they are incorporated in ‘secrecy’ jurisdictions, and that Guyana likely lost revenue due to the avoidance of an open, competitive bidding process. To this end, Hughes suggested that the administration should commence by publicizing data on all assets transferred by the state to private individuals during the PPP’s 27 years in office for the nation to see the beneficiaries of those actions. The Leader of the Alliance For Change was adamant that leaders must be willing to engage on such issues lest the country emerges as a ‘banana republic’ or a politically and economically unstable country with an economy dependent upon the export of natural resources. “We must be willing to discuss corruption because the track record that we have got as a country suggests that with the wealth that we have, all that we are going to do is become a rich banana republic. We are not going to achieve anything other than that. We will become a rich banana republic with lots of roads, lots of hotels (and) most of the citizens can’t even afford to survive because of the cost of living and we have these vacuous discussions about corruption that are not based on any sort of data,” Hughes argued. Furthermore, the attorney also noted that over US$1B from the Natural Resource Fund (NRF) or the oil account, was spent by government last year; however, there is no evidence of a significant project developed. On the other hand, he said the country is left to marvel at an incomplete Demerara River Bridge and a promise that future projects will not be subjected to feasibility studies. Still on the issue of corruption, the aspiring President questioned the award of contracts under the incumbent administration.  He said, “How many companies which have been receiving major contracts in road construction have a track record of being more than 20 or 10 years old?”  Hughes pointed to the Schoonord to Crane, West Coast Demerara Road project as an example, citing that the contract was awarded to a contractor whose estimate was $600M above the Ministry’s Engineer’s Estimate, while other experienced contractors were reportedly sidelined. Related Similar Articles