Region 6 RDC lashes out at Govt for not having Palmyra monument ready

The current state of the site for the Indian Arrival Monument at Palmyra is being considered an embarrassment to not only East Indians but all Guyanese. This is the view of Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne) Vice Chairman Dennis DeRoop.
The site was a topic of discussion at the Region Six Regional Democratic Council (RDC) meeting on Thursday last.

DeRoop posited that the Government has little recognition of immigrants to Guyana. In referring to the site at Palmyra where the base for the monument crumbled while still under construction, the Vice Chairman said he was personally embarrassed at what has transpired. As such, he referred to the fact that the Indian Government found it necessary to commit itself to providing the funds for the project since it seemed that the funds the Guyana Government had made available were all it was willing to put into the project although the project fell through after paying the contractor.
The project was initially estimated at $97 million.
“To me that is a true reflection of how much this government has recognised the immigrants to this country… A contract of $97 million and almost $80 million was paid …and I can’t see $8 million there and that is the reason why the Ministry of Public Infrastructure cannot find another contractor to go and complete the work,” the Vice Chairman said.
Regional Councillor Zamal Hussain related that it seemed as though the Guyana Government was doing nothing to ensure it got back the money already paid.
“What is so shocking is that not that the Indian Government will be doing the project now, the whole issue here is what will be done to recuperate the funds that were paid out to the contractor and the Government is telling taxpayers that it is the PPP [People’s Progressive Party] that should be blamed for the design. Every single thing in this country has a [Commission of Inquiry] CoI or it is being rejected. Why is there not an investigation into the project?” Hussain asked.
On April 26, 2017, the Indian Arrival Monument base at Palmyra crumbled two days before a three-ton $35 million bronze monument could have been erected on it.
The $97 million construction was unveiled by Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo and Indian High Commissioner to Guyana Venkatachalam Mahalingham in March last year. The bronze monument, which was built in India, arrived in Guyana in May 2016 and was expected to be in place in time for Arrival Day 2017.
The six-foot statue depicts six bronze figures – three men, two women and a child – illustrating Indians in their everyday life.
Last month, Public Infrastructure Minister David Patterson led a team, which included two other Government Ministers and a representative of the High Commissioner of India, to the location.
Minister Patterson told the media that a soil test showed that the 17-ton statue was too heavy to lay on the swamp-land. The area was formerly used as a cane field while Natural Resources Minister Raphael Trotman said the coalition Government inherited a design from the former PPP/Civic Administration and work commenced based on that plan. He added that the mistake was to assume that that design would have worked.
However, DeRoop believes that Minister Patterson was very bold in his actions.
“I am surprised that some of our Ministers accompanied the Indian High Commission officials there. They don’t have no pride to see what a mess they have made here and to go with the Indians and to say that the Government of India will now complete this project. If I was Minister Patterson, I would have buried my head in the sand there. He has no pride and then going and speak with the press; he should have been hiding from the press,” DeRoop told the RDC.
He also criticised Social Cohesion Minister, Dr George Norton, who had given a commitment that the project would have been completed in time for May 5, this year. (Andrew Carmichael)