“We don’t extort people” – Mustapha, Mahipaul clash over delayed completion of pump stations

As the consideration of the budget estimates continued on Wednesday, Agriculture Minister Zulfikar Mustapha clashed with Opposition Member Ganesh Mahipal over the delayed completion of pump stations across the country; and the Minister made it clear that Government has nothing to hide, and is not in the business of extorting persons.

A sum of $10 billion has been set aside for capital spending by the National Drainage and Irrigation Authority (NDIA), catering for the provision of drainage and irrigation structures, pump stations, and payment of retention. During his contributions on day two of the Consideration of the 2024 Budget Estimates of revenue and expenditure, Mahipal sought answers for why the construction of several pump stations, catered for through budgetary allocations provided to the NDIA in 2022 and 2023, have not been completed.
After examining the NDIA capital projects reports, Mahipal informed the Parliamentary Committee of Supply that the pump stations at Canal No.1 Polder and at Belle Vue, West Bank Demerara; and at Jimbo, Grove, East Bank Demerara, among other places, have not been completed.
He therefore requested their revised deadlines, and
suggested that NDIA engineers should design the projects and supervise the construction themselves, if contractors continue to delay projects.
“Sir, can the Honourable Minister provide us with an update on the (pump station) at Andrews, Essequibo Coast, that was awarded in the sum of $528 million with a start date of the 27th of September 2021?” the Opposition Parliamentarian asked.
In response to the extensive line of questioning, Minister Mustapha disclosed that quite a few of the projects mentioned would be completed soon. Among those would be
the station at Cottage on the West Bank Berbice, which Mustapha said is about 80 percent completed. The new completion date is March 30.
Meanwhile, the station at Andrews on the Essequibo Coast should be completed by the end of February.
According to Mustapha, NDIA engineers and consultants have discussed the projects and agreed on the best way forward.
“This pump station is about 80 percent complete, and the new completion date is March 30…Work is going apace, and we will ensure that we work and we monitor these projects very closely,” Mustapha has said.
Mahipal further inquired whether or not Government would expend money for the reconstruction of roads in communities that are damaged when pump stations are being constructed.
“…when they keep hammering these piles down to strengthen the base of the pump station, it is destroying the home of that family there. There’s evidence of cracks on the wall, and so on. Would the National Drainage and Irrigation Authority compensate that family for the destruction that was brought to their home? And secondly, would NDIA add monies to these contracts to rectify the access roads that are damaged?” the Opposition Parliamentarian asked.
Mustapha reminded that policies are in place that cater for the damages to personal assets.
“In these contracts, you have something called ‘public liability insurance’, and I don’t know if the Honourable Member doesn’t know about that, but any home destroyed, any person’s assets destroyed, will have to be replaced at the end of the contract,” Mustapha explained.