Contractors who do shoddy work will be blacklisted – Minister Anand Persaud

Minister within the Local Government and Regional Development Ministry, Anand Persaud has sounded a warning to all contractors to act in a professional manner when executing their jobs or face the possibility of being blacklisted.

These were the sentiments of Persaud while addressing the Regional Democratic Council (RDC) of Region Five (Mahaica-Berbice) earlier this week.
“With regards to these contractors, based on my information during the last RDC, a lot of shoddy work was done in this Region and so many other Regions. Contractors will be blacklisted. They will be blacklisted for a very long time. The people of this Region deserve better and they will have to get better,” Persaud said.
More than $360 million has been budgeted to be spent in Region Five over the next three months.
This sum comprises $3.5 million for regional administration and finance and agriculture including drainage and irrigation; $3.5 million for public works including farm-to-market access roads; $148.2 million for education, $6.5 million and health services $198.2 million.
“It is because we have a pandemic on hand and a lot of the health centres and the hospitals will be fully equipped to deal with COVID-19 cases with regards to PPE [Personal Protective Equipment],” Persaud detailed.
“We do not want a contractor let us say to come from Region Six or Region Two or Region Three and bring workers into this Region. There are enough skill sets within this Region that contractors can employ to execute the works and do them properly.”
Those who are bent on producing work which is less than what they are contracted to do will be dealt with condignly.
“Because if they are being paid to do a project, be it a road or the rehabilitation of a school or in the health sector, it has to be done according to the specs,” Persaud noted.
He further instructed the Regional Executive Officer (REO) that the bills of quantities must be placed at places where citizens would be able to view them and ensure that the works were being executed properly.