Public Works Minister Rayburn Blackmoore has disclosed that the government has taken steps to address the delay affecting troubled road project Lot 2 – the Melville Hall to Pont Casse Road.
Truckers sub-contracted to do work on that project have been complaining about late payments, and engaged in work stoppage to press their case.
According to Blackmoore, the government has now contracted the services of two new sub-contractors: Offshore civil and Marine Inc and Dipcon Engineering Ltd to assist in completion works on that Airport Road Project.
He has indicated that these additional subcontractors will work alongside the original contractor Emile Gaddarkan and sons on the project.
The completion date for the project was set at June 19, 2012.
However due to several work stoppages that deadline, now just one day away, will not be met.
The minister told reporters that the additional contractors have been given specific instructions to focus on areas where the original contractor had fallen short.
“The intention so far is to have the work segmented. Two additional contractors with the competence will be given two segments of that project, segments where the main contractor has not been able to demonstrate a sense of commitment to finishing the work. There has been an agreement among all parties to move the project forward”.
Blackmoore says the aim is to ensure that the project is completed within the shortest possible time.
He expected that under this new arrangement the contractors would commence work in earnest (today) Monday June 18 2012 from the roundabout at Pont Casse to Melville Hall.
“From the Pont Casse area going back to Debranche, nothing significant except for some culvert extension and base work has been done. This area will be given to the two sub-contractors and the main contractor will remain to do base work etc, etc,” the minister confirmed.
He said Government would monitor all contractors to ensure that the work is done in an acceptable and timely fashion with a view to bringing closure to the road project.
“IS THE Asphalt.{A??????}Got It?
caribbean construction/ edghill and assioates should have gotten that contract there price was higher and they said they would do it in a longer time than gadakan but in the long run look at the loubiere poitemichell road the canefield cliff wall and the soufrouiere wall as well as down san souvie and u will see they worth the cost from th quality and spead and efficiebcy of the work they do u go gove it to a cheaper company that only showing u how much to mess up a project
u all to like to think of ur pockets and not how things will be in the long run
where did I make comments on that matter to say it is duplicated that is my first attempt at a comment- Public Works not give a chance again. But Jack delayed the airport project in the same way in spite of threates of penalties – the more they threaten him the more he delayed therefore it is no surprise that he can do what he wants with this Government because he has done it before.
No Place for Public Works again!! embe weh!! Jack did the same thing with the airport contract more they threaten him with penalties is more he delayed on the airport project – so he has a history of not taking this Government seriously.
Somebody should provide an independent objective report on the road project. Gardhakan was granted a contract on the recommendation of the French government. Gardhkan is a French national. The French is providing the funds for the project. That project has been in the development stages for more than two years now and completion seemingly is another two years away gauging from current performance. What is the problem? has government failed in its commitment to the contractor? has the contractor failed on performance? What is the real reason why the contractor closed shop late last month. What is the fundamental reason why the project has not made the kind of prgress that we see on other big projects here?
What are the implications for the new arrangements announced in the main story above? Has gardhakan (the contractor for the last two years or so years) agreed or not to the new arrangements as announced by the Hon. Minister? What are the cost implications for the budget? There is information which suggests that the present contractor has not been given the designs for two sections of the road – one just passed the Belles Govt. School and the other in the D’leau Gommier area where the road is constantly sinking. Is that a fact? And what has hindered the engineers from designing a suitable arrangement? Importantly, so why is it the truckers on the project has not been paid thier dues for work already done? The minister has not address that except to say that he has information suggesting that certain cheque payments that were made to the truckers bounced. When will the truckers get their money? Has government facilitated the payments to Gardhakan.
Is Gardhakan on board with the new arrangements?
If not can we expect to hear about a court injunction preventing any other contractor on the road unless the issues thast Gardhakan is aggrieved about is satisfactorily completed? If that were to happen, how long will the process last before settlement to the impasse.
How long again will the funding arrangements be available? I am hearing that the money has to be used up by November 2012. Is that true?
These are just some of the hard questions that need to be asked. the partisan tainted comments cannot in any way assist with our efforts at getting that road completed within a reasonable time. The travelling public deserve answers.
Unfortunately, I must question the Hon. Minister’s comments on this one. Something seems to be amiss.
Questionaire: «There is information which suggests that the present contractor has not been given the designs for two sections of the road – one just passed the Belles Govt. School and the other in the D’leau Gommier area where the road is constantly sinking.»
Logically, do you think Gardakhan would humbly accept the new «arrangement» if he knew that the government was at fault in the delay? Does this rumour truly make sense?
The idea of an « objective report» on the status of the road project sounds like a good idea but…What will it achieve? How will it move the project along? How will it accomplish the completion of the project?
Contracts all have built-in mechanisms that allow parties safety nets and safe exits. This contract between the main contractor and the Government of Dominica allows the state the flexibility and control it needs to do just what Hon. Blackmore has done.
$300 000 a month penalties. I remember Mr Blackmore threatening Gardahkan after he breached de contract on lot 1 why he not talkin penalties again? Talk man
Going back to Lot 1 I distinctly remember Blackmore talking about penalties. Y he not talkin about it now. I remember. $300 000 a month. Let’s talk money. De workers need to get paid. So tell me. If he cannot pay his workers will he be able to pay $300 000 a month in penalties?
SOMEBODY ANSWER ME
Please be honest with the people!!!!!
“Those who do not know their history are condemned to repeat it”.what is going on with that road is like a replay of 1947. Dealing with that road is not easy:
“Work on this Transinsular Road began at Penrice in 1946. Without bulldozers or modern earth-moving equipment, the work was slow. Within a few months it was announced that the whole British grant had run out; rain and floods helped to wash away the work that remained.
Some claimed that the workers were to blame and others talked of misspent funds and ‘bobol’ among the merchants and road authorities. During Masquerade in 1947, Roseau echoed with not less than three songs celebrating the scandal.
For eight more years Dominica tried for another grant, but even when it was finally received, the problems of the Transinsular Road were not over. The Governor of the Windward Islands agreed to a request for the money to be spent on diverting the road to the windward coast.
But the people of the northern district protested strongly. Led by Elma Napier, then a nominated member, and Lionel Laville, representative for the district, the people registered their discontent.
A monster petition, signed and marked by thousands, was prepared for the Governor. A detailed personal cable was sent to the Secretary for the Colonies, and a Question was asked by a member of the British House of Commons.
A mass meeting was held in Marigot, attended by over three thousand people, at which the Governor was present. And as a result of all this, the decision was reversed and the Transinsular Road was rushed through.
In 1956, after almost two centuries of British rule, Dominica was spanned by road. In 1957 after 16 years of waiting, work could start on the airstrip at Melville Hall.”
And remember folks the rainy season has not fully strated yet.
Taken from the Dominica Story by Lennox Honychurch page 187
all of allu that commenting about the work should be done by now, or let the chinese do it. allu should try spending a day on the project and see the day to day struggles of the workers, who are working for months now without pay. problems arise in the most unusual of places( underground springs and bolders). these things slow down the process even more, and would you be motivated to work harder or faster if at the end of the month there is no paycheque for all the hard work that you put in?
* boulders
Dominicans like to talk, everybody correcting everybodys’ opinion to play technocrat and well informed, yet NOT ONE of them know for a FACT how this mess started, how the man even came to get the contract, and what is the hold up? Not one of them have true access to the EU demands for accountability and why the Minister may be just talking to buy himself time, but behind the scene things are worst off than the public can imagine.
I can’t stand people who always think they know like the clown who is giving a step by step synopsis of this project as if he/she even have a clue. Nothing you say Correction is true about this matter so stand corrected.
What you said makes sense, but applying your logic to your story mean it might be false too.
By the way, isn’t Pond Casse spell with a D in the end and not a T? (Open for correction). However, just keep the project going. We do need a massive road re-rehabilitation.
It means broken bridge in Kweole, Creole. Therefore it is PONT. Phonetically the other part of the name is CASSE or CASSEE or CASSAY.
Anyway, the bridges on both sides of this junction were originally built at angles over the river. They were not straight bridges. So they were CASSEE. Hence PONT CASSEE.
Thanks Bush Man appreciate it. I was thinking because Fond Cole is not Font Cole. Anyways, blessings Bush Man. All the best.
No big deal. Things don’t always go to plan. Still greatful that the road is getting fixed. Although it still winding all over but much appreciated.
Forgive my ignorance DNO but I do not quite get it. As far as we know, the main Contractor with the Government on this project is the company of Emile Gaddarkan et Fils. Therefore, unless I am missing something, I do not understand how the government could simply announce the employment of the services of two new sub-contractors, who are referred to in the same article as “two additional contractors” with the competence to complete segments of the project where the main contractor has not been able to demonstrate a sense of commitment to finishing the work in a satisfactory and timely manner..
By definition, a subcontractor is an individual or company that signs a secondary contract to perform part of the obligations of another’s contract. The subcontractor, therefore, is normally hired by a main/general; contractor to perform a specific task as part of the overall project and is normally paid for services provided to the project by the primary/main general contractor with the government.
In terms of the contractual relationship, the sub-contractor would be employed by the main Contractor and not by the Government even thought the government may have had the right to select the subcontractors as per the provisions of the main Contract
One would assume that one of the main reasons for employing sub-contractors at this juncture would be to allow the government to benefit from improved services that the general/primary contractor can not provide by itself. Hopefully, the work of the subcontractor will be performed at a lower overall risk and cost to the government.
The Hon Minister had previously stated that government was not satisfied with the level of work being done on that project by the main contractor, who was put on notice. Therefore, it is difficult to understand how the Minister could simply state at this juncture that the government has now contracted the services of two new sub-contractors: to assist in completion works without either having terminated or breached the existing contract with Emile Gaddarkan et Fils, unless the main Contractor have agreed to a good faith amicable resolution in the best interest of the parties. For that reason, it would be interesting to know, whether Emile Gaddarkan et Fils remains the sole/main contractor with the government and what settlement was reached with that company to allow for the employment of these sub-contractors.
Unless we are told otherwise, we assume that the contractually relationship remains between the government and Emile Gaddarkan et Fils and the headline should merely highlight the involvement of two subcontractors in collaboration with the government to expedite work on the project. Please tell us whether Emile Gaddarkan et Fils remains the sole/main contractor with the government for this project and what is the contractual relationship between that company and the so-called “sub-contractors” or “the two additional contractors”.
Your humble servant
ROSEAU VALLEY
pay them people there money stupes they have to eat they and there children
d man at d back of him have a superman stance
mister Blackmoore we NEED OUR ROAD AT DUBIQUE PLEASE WHAT A WE VOTEING THAT LABOUR PARTY FOR IF IS NOT FOR BETTER .
Well done Mr Blackmore. You are the best man for this ministry.
i hear the government use to pinch in the road money to do other things. dont blame gaddarkan.
and is now allu dominicans want chinese to build road for allu. so much things allu was saying when they were building the other road.
I like that pro-active stance, Hon. Blackmore. That is what we call, «leadership.»
Pro active leadership? you should change your profession to comedian. The contractor has been underperforming from day one, so the minister demonstrates his impressive leadership skills be realising a day before original completion date that much is wrong giving him cause to engage two other contractors and that impresses you.
And you believe that the Hon Minister got up one morning and, on a whim and without the input from his senior advisers or legal minds, selected alternative contractors, «a day before original completion date»; discuss his idea for new contractors with Cabinet, «a day before original completion date»; got Cabinet’s approval, «a day before original completion date», quickly got his team to prepare contracts and have the Ministry of Legal Affairs read and amend and finalize those contracts; «a day before original completion date»; call in the contractors to sign the contracts (maybe call in Gardakhan himself, maybe totally ignore him); and then announce the new measures «a day before original completion date»?
How man hours were there in that « day before original completion date»? I hope you do not even believe yourself.
DO you see the abject mischief and preposterousness of your feeble attempt at politicking?
Again, i say, hats off, Hon. Minister and the Cabinet!
I went on the road today and the progress is very slow but it was a very huge project! I don’t think anyone could have for seen this even Gardakkan! Very big project. I actually think the Chinese would have completed it already! Perhaps this would be the way to go………………..
de chinese woulda wok night an dey to finish de wok…stupesssss!
and you all still hate them…
trust me, I know. I go to college and you should see bus driver shout and curse at chinese workers crossing the road – to build the school so they can get their future business when the school expands.
all u just want the chines to do everything now. the same chinese all u were blasting. how about the british that enslaved us fo decades? where is our pay back.now some dominicans want to call the pm communist because he is friendly to non traditional countries. wemust know what we want and start living in the modern times.
lET THE cHINES BUILD IT.
And let the Chinese run Dominica, they would do a better job than those clowns
Am not a big fan of blackmore but he’s coming around,the guy look so funny in the back of him like he’s saying what the hec mr. talking about nah.
China may as well make Dominica a Chinese colony so that they can fix all the roads and Skerro has borrowed so much money from China the Dominican people will never be able to pay it back easy way to pay back ask China to make Dominica a Colony you will then get all the roads fixed. You will have military protection too they can build a Navy Base at Portsmouth.
Perhaps, after finishing Lot 2, consideration could be given to finishing Lot 1. If patience is a virtue, Dominicans have it in abundance for putting up with the state of the road at Antrim. In case anyone has lost count, we’ve been putting up with it for three years!
Well you know that section of the road by Antrim is a disaster waiting to happen. Fourteen acres of land is on the move and even if they surface it, it will crack and slide again.
Rainy season coming so look for more action there. Landslides falling in the Antrim river bit by bit….
And you know where the Antrim River comes out? By the Massacre School and the Check Hall housing area. I hope disaster management have their eyes on that one.
I hope they are making use of these two well-known controlled procedures to move the project along.
PERT (Program Evaluation and Review Technique) – a scheduling technique that identifies the major steps necessary to complete a project and sequences them based on the time required to perform each one.
Gantt Chart – a graphic scheduling device that displays the tasks to be performed and the time required for each task.
Thumbs up to you but maybe its the first time they hearing about these project management evaluation tools and scheduling techniques which a paramount to large projects. Take care they doh come and arrest you for saying they are PERverTs! LOL
Assertive, but NOT by any means Agressive!
who will pay the sub-contractors? Jack or the Government?
Good question. I am not sure whether a performance bond was included in the contract provisions. If not that would be an aberration. It is quite odd that owner is willing to go that route of hiring subcontractors and even managing these subs. That indicates that Kadakan is really not problem. There is obviously something hidden in this fiasco. My suspicions go all yhe way back to the bidding process. Did kadakan meet yhe nid qualification requirements?
i cannot help wonder what were the government consiltants doing while the project was slipping behind on schedule and above budget?.were there hands tied due to the SPECIAL relationship betwwen the owner and contractor. Something is definitely smarter upside down and inside out. I hope is not voodoo working in Dominica.
Blackmore will pay
BULL CRAP!!!!!!!!!!!!!
well, look rowrow on that project. Allyou Dominicans have bredex…
Total incompetence. Surely inefficiency. Govt. can’t touch Gardakhan irrespective of what. That same Minister chided the french contractor for possible breach of contract on the 1st. phase, Canefield to Pond Casse project. Business went on as usual.
Remember, Gardakhan was given permission to build an asphalt plant close to layou village. The whole village protested. Govt. was on the side of the contractor. The villagers are concerned about their health from the cancer- causing fumes from the plant. The businessman is more powerful, has more influence than the entire village.
The Minister did not mention the added cost as a result of poor planning of that road project. How much? Yet my people will not see. My people refuse to even hear about those things.
What about payment to the truckers? What about Public Works? No piece of the pie? PWC does not have the ability or capacity to do anything of significance on those road projects on island?
Who breach the Contract? Gardakhan or Govt.? What exactly are or were the delays? bad weather, lack of payment for truckers, terrain, what?
Gardakhan provides asphalt to road projects while our own local PWC, with equipment, lies there on death bed.
Night-landing project, millions spent. LIAT hired, party, waylay, tax payers money. Now LIAT say tailwind is a problem with the airport to land safely.
And so it goes, on and on and on.
What about the Geothermal exploration project, nuh? DNO pleaseeeee find out for us, nuh?
Is so Dominica come? The calypsonian reminded us that everything is upside down, everything is inside out. But many, many like it so. Unbelievable !!!!!!!
That is the very same Minster who tried to flex his muscles when he said he gave Gardakhan a deadline which was June we are in June now so why are we falling for the same run around again he was put in his place by his BOSS (PM) so why does DOMINICANS keep these guys in office why is it that our people are so backward,So putting two more Contractors on the road should make it better give me a brake Minister.
The Minister did not address the workers dispute regarding their salaries, and did he make sure the workers got paid
Did he forgot to tell us if the workers a back on the JOB and did the GOVT settled the payment dispute with GARDAKHAN, NO
Or did the GOVT just hired two other Contrators just to avoid dealing with the main issues money that suppose to be paid the GARDAKHAN so they can pay the workers, NO ,so what is the minister telling us.
He is not saying anything about paying the truckers at all, so i want to see if the truckers will go back to work witout getting pay for what they did already, and who blackmoore thinks he fooling with gabbage only time will tell for everyone of you to goooooooo ad i mean go
And what about the Petite Soufriere – Rosalie road Mr Back Whatever?
That will come just before general Elections mark my words.
You should have just fired Gardakan period.
they cannot fire Jack. What if he fire back. Maybe something will smell……..o
he can’t , remember the french connection!
Hmmm, easier said than done. It’s a ticklish thing with regards to EU and companies/contractors that are part of the EU countries. In this case, Gaddarkan is french, and France is a member of the EU. That’s why the contractor (J G) knows they cannot do what they want with him. It’s not cut and dry as one tends to believe. If it were so, they would have gotten rid of him and hired another contractor a very long time ago.
well said in fact that gaddarkan family is like a donald trump. so is not just a one man show is a herritage. have some dominicans even gone to the frenc countries to see the type of prject the ‘ghaddarkan herritage undertakes?
Why didn’t you and the government have the foresigt to see that given the terrain, climatic conditions and overall size of the project that Gardakkan & Sons would be overwhelmed. Anyways be that as it may, pay the contractor, so that the subcontractors can fulfill their on obligations.
The contractors are usually paid at intervals when agreed milestones are met and work certified by the consultant. If and when these milestones are met and claim for the said works have been submitted, then the employer (government) is obligated within a specified period.
so to say that government is not paying Ghardakan mystifies me.
Are you for real ‘Eagle’? You need to educate yourself on how Government contracts work before posting foolish comments, stop your foolish politics!!
First of all the selction process had to be and was confirmed by the French bank giving the money.
Secondly if it was percieved in anyway whatsoever that Gaddarkhan & Fils was “OVERWHELMED” by the size of the project his tender would not be considered.
Thirdly one of the reasons Gaddarkhan got the contract is because he could provide evidence (Bank Statements) that he could finance the entire project on his own. The Government would give him a first deposit and then from then on he will be reimbursed based on his claims… i.e he would have to meet all expenses on his own then provide bills for refunds. the other reason he got the contract is that the french bank preference for the job was a company from the Euro Zone and they had the final say due to the fact that the loan is a concessionary one.
Stop making Gaddarkhan make an a… of you because of your political affiliations, EDUCATE YOURSELF!!!!
Are you for real “Correction”.. Eagle may not know but I damn sure know because I work on, and with this project info directly so zip it. Nothing you write there is truthful. NOTHING!!
All that explanation is based on what you percieve and how it should be done, you don’t even know that our government provided financial backing as a guarantor for Jack! I rest my case. Hush your mouth you don’t know jack about Jack and how he got this contract neither why he can’t get paid
Companies are not excluded from bidding processes because in the perception of the client, the job seems monumental. If this were ever done, many companies probably would not get projects because it could always be argued that « the job and the terrain are difficult.»
Instead, you evaluate the contractor’s bid by considering his portfolio of work, his capital, and other factors. Then, you decide. You cannot simply on a whim assume that Company X cannot handle a project. This does not happen.
Wow..Blackmore is not an Engineer and relies on the information from the Technocrats…so if he failed , blame the local engineers…not him.
As usual Prof WIKILEAKS being a donkey without rope. The government engineers are powerless. If it was the fault of the engineers why didn’t blackmoore fire the engineers or rediculously get Parry Bellot to evaluate their production. When are your idiots going to own up to their responsibilities and be accountable for the inefficiencies. A project had been registering negative performance indexes for so long due to the fault of the local engineers? It would be wise to just shut up less you make a fool of your self.
Nice one Professor. When the Minister fails, blame the technocrats but when the Minister succeeds give him all the praise. Oh sorry, no Minister or technocrat gets praises under this administration. All recognition and praise go to the almighty one- His majesty king Skerrit right!!!!.Garcon you and Peeping Tom not easy eh pal.
Did I for once hear a certain PROFESSOR say that a DLP Minister failed? Hmmmmm! Somebody must be smoking something real strong!
And; Did I hear a certain PROFESSOR provide a rebuttal to his own suggestion blaming the technocrats who are also DLP people?
Wow, things sure appear like they are changing in my country. However, I will remain Assertive but by no means Agressive!
PROF WIKILEAKS i sure hope that you are kidding. I hope you are saying that to poke fun at the so called ministers or blackmore to exact. Thanks for the laugh. Whosays that a minister need to a technocrat to underztand that. Project X is the behind schedule and above cost estimate.