At engineering conference… President decries poor supervision of infrastructural projects

–blames infraction on ‘coziness’ between engineer and contractor

Friday, 7 February 2014, Source

President Donald Ramotar addressing stakeholders in

the engineering field yesterday (Photos by Adrian Narine)

PRESIDENT Donald Ramotar, at the Fourth Annual Engineering Conference yesterday, called for greater supervision in that field and remarked on the relationship between engineers and contractors.

“Sometimes I think there are too much cozy relationships between contractors and engineers… I’m tired of excuses; we have to save money and save time…too often we hear contractors give excuses for delays; we see sinking bridges and eroding roads,” he lamented.

Prime Minister Samuel Hinds and Minister Robeson Benn at one of the exhibits yesterday

The Head of State was delivering the feature address on the occasion hosted by the Ministry of Public Works in collaboration with the University of Guyana (UG), at the Guyana International Conference Centre (GICC), under the theme, ‘Building Guyana’s Future step By Step’.

Noting that there remains too many variations in engineering undertakings, he stressed the need for quality work to be delivered on time and within budget.

He nevertheless saw the hosting of such a confab as a good opportunity for the creation of synergies and the sharing of experiences between professionals and students, and welcomed the ongoing partnership between the Ministry of Public Works and UG on major development projects.

He further underscored the importance of encouraging more people to become engineers, and made it clear that those already in the field are quintessential to the process of economic development. He added that sustained economic development is dependent on engineers.
Becomes necessary

QUOTE: “Sometimes I think there are too much cozy relationships between contractors and engineers… I’m tired of excuses; we have to save money and save time…too often we hear contractors give excuses for delays, we see sinking bridges and eroding roads,”

A section of the final year engineering students from the University of Guyana during one of the lighter moments of yesterday’s conference

“This is where engineering becomes necessary to develop the quality of what will be at the centre of this drive… In the last two decades, we have seen many projects that have transformed the local landscape,” Ramotar observed.

He referred to major completed road works, such as the Berbice River Bridge, the expansion of the water supply system and the local electricity distribution grid, as well as major buildings, including the ongoing Marriot Hotel, the modernisation at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport and more drainage and irrigation works.

He pointed out that, given Guyana’s development trajectory, this is “an exciting” time for engineers, particularly since they have the opportunity to be a part of it.

The President noted that Guyana continues to perform well economically, as compared to other countries still reeling from the shocks of the global financial crisis.

He recalled that, in 2013, Guyana recorded an average five per cent growth in the economy, the highest in the Caribbean region.

The President explained that, in moving forward, the movements on the international scene must be kept in mind, as a factor that informs the possibilities Guyana can explore in its advance.

He said some of these opportunities can be optimised by pursuing projects like a deep-water harbour, road projects that link Guyana to its continental neighbours, cheap energy through the Amaila Falls Hydropower project and continued attention to improving the local human resources capacity.

Ramotar acknowledged the challenges, but maintained that Guyana must move to improve and not be discouraged by them.

“We still have too many people who are poor,” he insisted.

Prime Minister Samuel Hinds also addressed the hundreds gathered, stating that the conference is an opportunity for stakeholders to reflect on past efforts and reform their current approach.

Hinds said the gathering makes a contribution to informing aspirations, in pursuit of which all stakeholders must work to address existing problems and apply new technologies to the move forward.

Stellar performance

UG Vice-Chancellor, Professor Jacob Opadeyi underscored the fact that the mistakes of engineers are ones that stay with them and, hence, the need for stellar performance is of the utmost importance at all times.

To this end, he lauded the opportunity the conference presents in bringing new ideas to the fore for discussions.

Opadeyi remarked on the importance of collaboration and the immeasurable impacts it can have in improving aspects of engineers’ approaches.

He also called for Government to commit a small percentage of income from major projects to the development of local human resources.

Such investment will go a long way towards ensuring that major projects can be maintained by local professionals, he said.

Minister of Public Works, Mr. Robeson Benn echoed similar sentiments and agreed that the conference is a forum for both holistic and peer review, in the advance of engineering undertakings.

He, too, called for engineering stakeholders to do the best, by working together to optimise on available opportunities.

Benn recognised the presence of an abundance of local talent in the field and acknowledged the necessity for synergies.

Engineering solutions

“There are engineering solutions to the challenges we have in the current environment we occupy,” he said.

The Minister said advances in the engineering sector are in the interest of improving the livelihoods of all Guyanese.

“We are poised for a leap forward,” he remarked, alluding to the state of the current political climate and the need for resolutions in this sphere to support the local development thrust.

In line with the Minister’s comments on possibilities for the future, several major presentations were featured for stakeholders’ comments.

Among these were the benefits of the Amaila Falls Hydropower Project, the aviation maintenance programme, the challenges facing the CJIA expansion, the impact of sea level rice on the Coast and the benefits of the e-governance project.

Additionally, the conference poster presentations and exhibits were undertaken by the Ministry’s Central Transport Planning Unit and the Sea and River Defense Division, the Demerara Harbour Bridge Corporation, the Maritime Administration Department, China Harbour Engineering Company Ltd., CARITRANS Services Ltd., JARIC Environment Safety and Health Services Ltd., Design Perspectives, Great Wall Construction, DipCon Engineering Services Ltd. and final year University of Guyana (UG) students.