Georgetown : No tax-payers' money was wasted on Makeswhar ‘Fip’ Motilall of Synergy Holdings Inc. Minister of Transport and Hydraulic, Robeson Benn to the National Assembly today. Motillal was initially handed the US$15.4M Amaila Falls Access Road project.
Ben was at the time alluding to the more than $2.3B allocated in the 2012 Budget for the completion of the project ever since the arrangement with Motilall was quashed.
Parliament today continued its sessions in the Standing Parliamentary Committee of Supply where the legislators, scrutinize each of the allocations specifically and in detail. Benn informed the House that US$5,876,410 was paid to Synergy Holdings Inc “for works done.”
It was the Alliance for Change's (AFC) Moses Nagamootoo, who in offering a supplementary question to a query made by A Partnership For National Unity's (APNU) Joe Harmon, suggested that monies were wasted on Motilall by the administration.
The Public Works Minister took umbrage to the statement and proceeded to tell the House that the Contract with Synergy Holdings Inc was terminated for failing to advance the project according to the timelines.
He was speaking to the fact that Motilall had missed at least three deadlines with respect to progress on the critical roadway along with approved extensions.
The Amaila Falls Access road is meant to facilitate the construction of the Amaila Falls Hydro Electric Project and will have to withstand heavy strains to be induced when trekking in the components for the ‘Flagship’ project.
Benn in defending the payments made to Motilall of Synergy Holdings Inc said that the, “the payments made are for works done.”
The Public Works Minister hammered home the point that the payments made was for certified works which was qualified by the consultant engineer.
He was at the time referring to SRKN Gineering which had come in for flak when it was learnt that the company had been approving works for payments to be made to Motilall.
Benn told the House that the administration has since moved to levy against the US$1.5M performance bond held by Hand in Hand.
Responding to Nagamootoo’s query as it relates to what preventative measures are in place to ensure there isn’t a repeat of the Motilall Fiasco, Benn drew reference to the fact that there is always, with such projects a 10 per cent performance bond in place to levy against.
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