Dear Editor,
The `Collapse of base for Indian monument …” (SN May 7) is a major embarrassment for the government as it was supposed to have been a showpiece (with the bronze structure donated by India) of the celebration associated with the 179th anniversary of the arrival of Indians to the country (last May 5). The base cave-in is a most awkward situation for the government because it reveals its inability to oversee the construction of a simple structure for a monument that is so significant for almost half of the population who now see it as another failure to deliver to them. And adding to the discomfiture is that the crumbling of the monument base happened at a time when the government has been desperately trying to reach out to Indians after so many broken promises and the closing down of the Wales sugar estate and the likelihood of others being closed.
The disintegration of the base is no doubt also a major disappointment for the Indian High Commission which wanted the structure up (on the centennial of the end of recruitment of indentured labourers) and to Guyanese who were looking forward to have a glimpse of the monument after a very long wait. No less than a very thorough investigation is needed on what led to the cave-in of the structure and for heads to roll.
So far, the central government has been silent. The Regional government claims it was not consulted and knew nothing about the preparation of the site and or the construction of the base. The NDC was also not involved or consulted. And the government made no initiative to consult with major Indian NGOs on design or engineering. We are now told that the construction of the base was given to a contractor who has virtually no experience in building projects and that the selection of the contractor was done in secrecy. No engineer was on hand for the construction. This inevitably leads to a lot of relevant questions:
Why was there no engineering supervision of the preparation of the site or the construction of the base? Why wasn’t the Indian government approached for the opinion of an engineer from India (since there seems to be none in Guyana) to evaluate the site and the construction? Why was an inexperienced contractor given the job in the first place of such an important task? And why could there not be transparency of the entire process? Where was the line Ministry in overseeing the work? Who will be held accountable? Why are NGOs (on accountability, transparency and good governance) silent on this matter? Where are the voices of reason such as those who critiqued the several failures of the preceding PPP regime regarding collapse of infrastructure? And where are those mouths from WPA and ACDA that were in the forefront of the infrastructural failures of the PPP – why aren’t they calling for heads to roll?
The PPP and its predecessor the PNC failed the country with many constructions. Now the APNU+AFC is fast following the PPP footsteps on failures and mis-governance. For too long the population has been saddled with sub-standard workmanship in government sphere.
Government contractors must be properly evaluated and their work must be scrutinized by competent agents. Otherwise, there will be more collapses of bridges, roads, stellings, bases and buildings.
I am no engineer. But as I learn in visits to Trinidad, where roads were built on cane land, there were several cave-ins. Engineers quickly learn from experience that piling was necessary on the sides of structures on shifting soil to prevent land slippage. No less than piling was needed at the Palmyra site to hold the dirt together. This was not done. Worse, the base was not prepared with reinforced concrete – an essential requirement. Ordinary building blocks were used without reinforcement materials. It is common sense that construction of that site required the strongest and most durable materials because the several tons of the bronze structure that would be placed. Both were absent. An urgent investigation is now required along with accountability so there won’t be a repeat of such a failure. Anything less is unacceptable.
At the same time, government should put the construction up for bidding and a competent engineering company found to prepare the site and base – preferably from abroad so there will not be a repeat. The government has eleven months to showcase the monument for the 180th anniversary of Indian Arrival. It should start work now.
Yours faithfully,
Dr. Vishnu Bisram
