Collapsed utility poles: VP warns of severe penalties for negligent contractors, Ministry staff

Vice President Dr Bharrat Jagdeo has reiterated that contractors and Ministry staff, who fail to adhere to project guidelines will face severe penalties, including termination of contracts.
Addressing his frustration during a weekly press conference last Thursday, Jagdeo condemned the negligence plaguing several public projects, which he said continues to disrupt communities and waste public resources.
The Vice President cited a recent incident on Aubrey Barker Road, South Ruimveldt, Georgetown, where alleged improper installation of utility poles led to a catastrophic collapse, leaving over 2,000 households without electricity for more than 24 hours.

Jagdeo disclosed that his investigation revealed that the concrete poles were not laid according to specifications. He is unsure whether this is as a result of a design flaw or the faulty execution of the project.
However, he indicated that the matter will be investigated further and the relevant personnels will face consequences, if found that they did not comply with contractual guidelines.
“So, I’m told now…they were not laid according to specifications. They were not put down according to specifications. So Public Works need to say who designed this? Who was responsible for what was the contractor paid for? Whether it is a design fault or the contractor did not comply with the design and who supervised this? Which engineer supervised this and allowed this to happen? And it’s time that we start terminating people who are not doing their work, who’ve been paid by the Government to oversee work that should have been done properly.”
“Because just imagine if that didn’t happen there, we would have never known that these poles were not placed according to specs. Because someone, either the contractor didn’t do their work properly, and if the contractor didn’t do their work properly, they had to do this with the complicity of the person who’s supervising the work. And there should be consequences,” Jagdeo said.

The Vice President explained that these steps aim to curb mismanagement, ensure compliance with contractual obligations, and restore public trust in infrastructure development initiatives.
He added that strategies must also be utilised when executing works to ensure citizens are not severely affected.
“And then why would you allow the road contractor to dig out the entire stretch of drain that would discomfort people getting into their yards? Why couldn’t they just do it by two blocks at a time and then build the concrete drains? This is all ridiculous. So, it happens routinely. I see it everywhere. We have a bunch of engineers who just go down, walk around the road, and they discomfort people all the time when they could work differently.”
“So, it’s something that bothers me personally, and I’m going to watch this. Because I think we’re reaching a stage now where people have to face consequences, including staff of the Government, who are responsible for designing things or supervising things,” he disclosed.
The concrete electricity poles were erected following the relocation of the power lines to facilitate the ongoing expansion of the Aubrey Barker Road.
Similar works are ongoing across the country, and the VP is also cautioning contractors to desist from causing discomfort to people for long periods.