It is the opinion of the Leader of the Opposition, Bharrat Jagdeo, that the expansion project for the Cheddi Jagan International Airport, totaling US$150M, is a “rehab project”, and that it is not a new, state

-of-the-art airport, as was initially promised. He said that he believes the cause of this is collusion, involving government officials.
During his weekly press conference, at the Office of the Leader of the Opposition on Church Street yesterday, Jagdeo noted that, for his observations of the project, he has concluded that Guyana is “getting less and less”.
He sought to dispel the notion that the People’s Progressive Party Civic (PPP/C) is to blame for the variation of the project. A number of local contractors had expressed shock at some of the prices that the Bharrat Jagdeo administration, in late 2011, agreed to in its contract with China Harbour Engineering Company (CHEC).
“They argued that it was a corrupt PPP contract. Now, they have decided to pay more when we are getting less,” said the Opposition Leader.
The project initially promised a brand new terminal building, with it being a two-storey structure, glass roof and highlights. It also was meant to be accompanied by eight passenger bridges. Jagdeo said that, as it is, there will be a runway, a part of the apron, a rehabilitated terminal building instead of a “spanking” new one, and only four bridges.
Further, Jagdeo said that, for the runway, it was necessary to get a “huge” apron so that eight aircraft could stand at the same time, including the much larger vehicles, but that the current set-up is not enough.
Jagdeo believes the variation was so drastic that it is now a rehabilitation project, instead of a “new” airport.
It has been uncovered by this publication that many of the costs placed in the contract’s documents signed by the Jagdeo-led government and CHEC were astronomically inflated.
For example, according to the 2011 contract, Guyana agreed that CHEC would install 36 of the 46-inch screen monitors for the Flight Information Display System.
Each was worth a whopping US$6,548.90 each ($1,310,000). In total US$235,760.40 ($47,152,080) would have been set aside for those 36 of the 46-inch TVs. On the local market, each at 2011, when the contract was signed, would have cost about $300,000.
That is only one of the many examples of the inflated prices.
Just recently, this publication reported that, under the agreement, CHEC received access to sandpits. There were no costs to the pits. The pits are located in the vicinity of the runway which was being extended.
The Chinese contractor reportedly placed a cost of $7,000 per truckload for moving sand from the pit to the runway area.
In fact, says Minister of Public Infrastructure, David Patterson, CHEC claimed it ferried one million truckloads of sand to the runway and other areas of the airport.
This works out at a massive US$35M in sand alone that CHEC reportedly charged Guyana for the project.
Even though these prices were agreed to by the Jagdeo-led government, he maintains that it is this government that inflated the prices.
Asked whether it is the government that should be blamed for variation orders on the structure, he said that the government does not decide on variation, but it is the government that approves such orders. Hence, it should be held accountable for the value Guyana is losing for its money, he said. In fact, Jagdeo said that an investigation should be launched, to determine what caused the changes and how the money was spent.
The Opposition Leader also noted that there were certain defects that government’s consultants have identified when the works were inspected. These defects, which he said are numerous, are being “hushed” by the government, and that is one of the main reasons, he has purported, supports his contention that collusion has occurred.