EAST COAST DEMERARA - Two major contracts involving the rehabilitation of concrete river defences at Mosquito Hall/Lancaster were executed during the period 2011 to 2012.
These works addressed problematic sections of sea defences which were undermined and frequently overtopped during spring tides.
In addition to concrete works, a total of 700 metres of eroded earthen embankment was rehabilitated and adjacent façade drains constructed for the storage and conveyance of overtopping discharge in order to reinforce the flood defence system.
During December 2013, a contract requiring the rehabilitation of a section of the earthen embankment and slope protection works in undermined areas was awarded to a private contractor. These works commenced during December 2013 and are scheduled for completion at the end of January 2014. In addition to the ongoing contracted works, the Ministry’s Force Account Unit will be engaged in the execution of maintenance works in the area.
The Ministry notes that major reconstruction works have also been scheduled for Mosquito Hall/Lancaster under its 2014 Capital Programme for certain critical sections. Designs are currently being finalised for projects involving the reconstruction of river defences in the area which will be advertised for public tendering during January 2014.
The Mahaica area was recently included in a list of vulnerable coastal/ riverain communities specifically mentioned in the Ministry’s monthly spring tide advisory published in the local print media. There were no reports of flooding at the Mosquito Hall/Lancaster area during the recent spring tides period.
PETER'S HALL - The Demerara Harbour Bridge (DHB) will be closed to vehicular traffic from 22:00hrs on Wednesday up to 04:00hrs on Thursday, to facilitate repairs after a vessel collided with the bridge, causing damage.
Currently the structure is closed to marine traffic and is expected to resume contractions for river vessels on Thursday.
General Manager of the Bridge, Rawlston Adams at a press conference yesterday - December 6, reported that the incident occurred on Sunday at about 05:15 hrs with an internationally registered fuel tanker owned by Pritchard-Gordon tankers of the United Kingdom.
According to Adams, the captain of the vessel, a local, was given clearance to transit at 05:15hrs, however it was observed that the vessel was approaching in an unorthodox position.
“After that was noticed, instructions were then given to the pilot again … the response from the pilot was ‘I know what I am doing,” Adams revealed. Subsequently, after the pilot’s failure to observe instructions, the vessel struck the bridge, causing damage that is considered significant.
Inspections have thus far shown damage to two cluster piles, the pontoon and transom. The bridge was also slightly repositioned following the mishap, however that was corrected several hours after and vehicular traffic resumed.
“We expect that the owners of the vessel would bear all the costs. I have had an initial discussion and they have made a commitment that once we do a joint inspection and we assess the cost, they have given a commitment that they will stand the cost for the repairs,” Adams stated.
Engineers are currently engaged in mobilising the necessary materials to facilitate a speedy repair process.
“We had fabricated those components a long time ago in the event of such. We are confident we have the necessary resources to fix and restore the bridge to proper order,” added Adams. (GINA)
TIMEHRI – American R&B singer John Legend touched down this morning, January 3, 2014 at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA) – a day ahead of the highly anticipated “Night of Love Concert”.
He was accompanied by a five member entourage including his wife, Chrissy Teigen an American model.
He will share the spotlight with iconic Reggae singer Beres Hammond on January 4 at the Guyana National Stadium.
The nine times Grammy Award winner, whose songs include ‘Green light and Ordinary People’, was whisked away by security without speaking to anyone.
Meanwhile, Hammond arrived last evening. His plethora of hits includes ‘Rockaway’ and ‘They Gonna Talk’.
Hits and Jams Entertainment and McNeal Enterprise are the organizers of the show.
KINGSTON - Stringent security measures will go into effect on January 6, 2014 for staff and visitors entering the Works Services Group (WSG) premises [a Ministry of Public Works department] following the brazen robbery committed by two armed men on December 19, 2013.
The duo, under the guise as Ministry’s workers, robbed a Ministry’s Clerk of nearly GUY$8M in the WSG’s compound. Over 100 temporary and low level staff employees were affected.
An emergency meeting was subsequently held whereby several precautionary measures were voted on heightened WSG’s security.
In light of this, several measures will be implemented.
KINGSTON - Amid allegations of victimisation, Public Works Minister Robeson Benn said BM Soat utilised an extra 7797 square feet of land beyond the lot given to the entity
“The land currently occupied by BM Soat exceeds the 57,934.80 square feet vested in him by the transport which he presented as evidence of ownership by 7797 square feet – specifically the northern boundary is exceeded by some 1306 square feet and the southern boundary by 6490 square feet,” Minister Benn explained during an emergency press conference on Monday evening.
On Friday, the Public Works Ministry demolished a fence and two concrete structures at BM Soat’s Auto Sales showroom at Success, East Coast Demerara.
The move by the ministry prompted many questions, but on Monday the ministry said its action was just. “The ministry takes this opportunity to reiterate that the fence and other erections demolished by the ministry were on government reserves and the ministry was acting within the ambit of the law in the demolition and removal of same,” Benn said, while speaking at his Kingston office.
Court orders
He put to rest allegations that the encroaching fence was dismantled despite a court order being served to prevent such, noting that it was during the process of demolition that the court order was brought to the attention of the ministry. “The action taken by the ministry earlier in the day was pursuant to an order of the Chief Justice discharging the conservatory order which previously prevented the ministry from removing the encroaching structure,” he further explained.
Minister Benn told the press that since 2007, his ministry has been issuing notices of violation to the proprietor of BM Soat, Bashir Mohamed, but to no avail.
However, this year, Mohamed reportedly assured the Public Works Ministry that on Friday, December 27 the illegal erections would have been removed. But Mohamed reneged on his promise, forcing the ministry to take stern action.
Abuse of judicial process
“In view of the foregoing, the ministry views the resort to further action in the court as an attempt by Mohamed to abuse the judicial process and an affront to the government,” he said.
According to the public works minister, the non-removal of the fence has cost the government $40 million, as it is currently stalling the ongoing road expansion project along the East Coast of Demerara.
“The ministry finds alarming Mr Mohamed’s attitude of the disregard for the rights of surrounding land owners, while at the same he seeks of the court for alleged violations of his own. At the moment, he is embroiled in court proceedings with his neighbours to the west for encroaching on their land,” he added. (Guyana Times)
COVERDEN - The speed and efficiency with which Zhanghao Shipyard has constructed a 63-metre long logging vessel, has impressed a high-level Government team which visited the shipyard in Coverden, East Bank Demerara on December 24, 2013.
The vessel, Zhango Hao No. 1 which is 183 metres in width and 4.3 meters in height is 95 percent completed after just over three months of construction.
“I felt very heartened, and excited by what we saw here some months ago, the establishment of this shipyard and the construction of this power barge, and we think it is a sign of what would be accomplished in Guyana, and what is being accomplished in Guyana, and we thought we come out here to bring attention to fact that activities are being widened in Guyana so that you could think more of having ships built in Guyana; small ships and repaired here in Guyana,” Prime Minister Samuel explained.
The Prime Minister who was accompanied by Minister of Public Works Robeson Benn expressed the hope that the investment would encourage Guyanese to make similar investments in their country.
Zhanghao shipyard is operated by the Su family, which has been involved in the logging business in Guyana over the past six years. In 2009, the decision was taken to commence construction on the shipyard in Coverden. Simple construction started in this regard in 2012, however to facilitate a logging concession that the family owns in Kwakwani, they realised the need for transportation and in this regard, building of the shipyard paused to make way for the vessel’s construction.
Tresey Su explained that her husband Shuzairong has invested US$4M on the entire operation thus far; US$2M on the construction of the Zhango Hao No. 1, and the remainder on the shipyard and on the 60 employees, 30 of whom are Guyanese.
She said her husband, who is a Guyanese was driven by his need to give back to his country. The vessel, whose design and engine are Chinese, and steel plates were also pre-formed in China. It has the capacity to carry 200,000 tonnes of logs and six crew members and will take about four days from their wharf in Kwakwani to Coverden with the logs.
This was Minister Benn’s second visit to the shipyard since the construction began. “I actually visited whilst they were in construction a few months ago, and had a quick site visit,” he said.
The Minister explained that rapid construction and good quality delivery, on schedule, is always of interest to the Ministry. “We are excited that such construction to move our goods into markets could be done fairly quickly here based on technology that is planned and prepared and integrated. We are also interested in the fact that the cost of shipbuilding, based on Chinese engineering and construction materials, the cost is significantly lower than the sources that we have, so that is all of interest to us,” he said.
All that remains to be completed on the vessel are minor works in the cabin and another coating of paint on the exterior.
The Su family is hoping to, in time, construct and design similar vessels for interested buyers. (GINA)
GEORGETOWN - Government would soon install cutting-edge surveillance technology at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA) in an ongoing programme to bring facilities of the air navigation systems and physical infrastructure at the airport in line with air transportation systems used worldwide.
The way was cleared for acquisition of Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) technology at CJIA following Parliamentary approval of the $80M required for its installation.
In justifying the request for ADS- B at CJIA, Public Works Minister Robeson Benn recently told members of Parliament that ADS-B acquisition and installation was in keeping with the intention to improve air navigation safety and surveillance systems in Guyana.
It was also in line with International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) requirements for airports to upgrade their communication, navigation and surveillance infrastructure operations to the newest generation of such technologies.
What is ADS-B? A reliable source has explained that ADS-B is surveillance technology for tracking aircraft.
It is similar to radar, but is not as expensive. It can track and monitor real-time movement of the aircraft, which can be useful for air traffic control purposes.
“For search and rescue, the aircraft will actually be there on the screen and you can track it, so that if anything goes wrong with it, you would know where it would have been at the last point of contact,” the source said.
ADS-B reputedly also makes flying significantly safer for the aviation community by providing pilots with improved situational awareness. Pilots in an ADS-B-equipped cockpit would have the ability to see on their in-cockpit flight display other traffic operating in the airspace, and would have access to clear and detailed weather information. They will also be able to receive pertinent updates, ranging from temporary flight restrictions (TFRs) to runway closings.
“ADS-B technology provides a more accurate report of an aircraft’s position. This allows controllers to guide aircraft into and out of crowded airspaces with smaller separation standards than it was previously possible to do safely.
“It also reduces the amount of time aircraft must spend waiting for clearances.
“It is the latest in air navigation systems,” the source said.
Minister Benn said expenditure on the instrumentation installed at the CJIA, mainly at the Control Tower, has, to date, amounted to close to one billion dollars. This work has been done by a Canadian company named Intelcan Technosystems Inc.
“The ADS-B system is, in fact, being sole-sourced to Intelcan Technosystems Inc. because of equipment compatibility requirements with the system currently in place,” Minister Benn said.
He said all improvements done at CJIA to date had started from the first point of improving air safety navigation surveillance, and to ensure that Guyana has an up-to-date, reliable and sustainable aviation management system for the safety of both pilots and passengers.
Acquisition and installation of the ADS-B is being done by the Guyana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA), with technical advice and support from ICAO. Completion of the work being done at CJIA is expected during the course of next year, Minister Benn said. (Guyana Chronicle)
TIMEHRI - Gifts? Check. Candies? Check. Santa and his sleigh? Check. The key ingredients for a spectacular Santa parade and for over three and a half hours on Friday, December 20, 2013 children of all ages were treated by Santa and his many helpers courtesy of the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA).
It is the third year that the airport’s staff has pulled off the family oriented event.
The fun-filled parade kicked off from Kaylee’s Gas station, Coverden and made its way to CJIA’s cricket ground, Timehri. Over 1,000 gifts were handed out as well as a wide assortment of candies and Santa hats.
Two Santa Clauses “turned up” for the occasion. While onewas perched on his sleigh surrounded by his helpers, the other showed off his dancing moves along the route and even enquired from children if they were naughty or nice.
Prior to the parade, one of the Santas and his beautiful sidekick Mrs. Clause distributed gifts, candies and Santa hats to children in the Timehri North area.
Ramesh Ghir, CJIA’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO) was impressed with the euphoric atmosphere.
“It was a gratifying experience. It is priceless to see children glowing when they see Santa and his helpers on the sleigh. The gifts, sweets, cakes and hats were an added bonus for them,” he said.
Meanwhile, over 500 plus children, many accompanied by their parents, converged at the junction of the Timehri Police Station anxiously awaiting their treats. According to Mr. Ghir, the planning committee had not anticipated such large turnout at every street corner along the roadway.
A mini concert was held at the ground with some of CJIA’s staff revealing their “hidden” talents including singing, dancing and poetry reading. One of country’s upcoming artistes, Jovinski, wrapped up the evening’s event in song.
Candy Corner, Thrill Drinks, Roti Hut, New Timehri Handling Service, Digicel, Shawnee Service Station, Deokie Gas Station, Basheer and Sons Trucking Service, Loncke Variety Store, Chico Sweets and Kaylee’s Gas Station made the event a “rocking success”.
The airport’s CEO also commended his hard working staff, many of whom remained after working hours, to wrap the copious amounts of gifts.
KINGSTON – She has been with the Ministry of Public Works for four decades and has been a tower of strength to four Ministers during her dedicated years of service.
On December 18, Hon. Robeson Benn and staff held a simple ceremony at the Ministry’s boardroom to express their gratitude to Phyllis Rahman, who worked her way up the chain of command from a Typist Clerk 1 to Confidential Secretary.
Her outstanding credentials included her adaptability, charisma, promptness and endearing attitude towards work.
The Ministry’s Permanent Secretary, Balraj Balram in his glowing tribute to the veteran staff said that Ms. Rahaman’s departure “has left a vacuum” in the working lives of those she interacted with.
Meanwhile, her former boss, Minister Benn, challenged the two young ladies who now man his office to fill the “big shoes left by Phyllis”.
“She is an extraordinary resource to assist in your development,” he added.
Ms. Rahaman joined the then Ministry of Works and Housing in September 1972 as a Typist Clerk 1, and following several promotions was assigned as Confidential Secretary in 1993 to then Minister – Harry Persaud Nokta.
And over the ensuing years she has served Ministers Benn, Anthony Xavier and Harry Narine Nawbatt.
TIMEHRI – Tenesha Trotman and Vanessa Narine represented the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA) when they appeared on Channel 11 – one of the country’s premiere television stations – to promote the airport’s annual Christmas parade.
The duo captivated viewers’ with their wit and charm on the GUYANA TODAY programme on December 19, 2013.
The Santa parade commences from Kaylee’s gas station, Coverden to CJIA, after which a mini concert is planned.
They also highlighted some of CJIA’s community related activities which include distribution of books, painting road signages, opening its field to school and family events and building guard huts for several schools in the Timehri environs.
