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CCNTV6
  • 1 year ago

The Opposition leader is sounding a warning to any company required to do safety testing at the new ANR Robinson Terminal that if they rubber stamp documents ... they will be facing court action. Here's more.
Transcript
00:00Opposition leader Kamala Prasad Biswasa is accusing the government of hiding and lying
00:05to the public on the true status of the new terminal building at the A&R Robinson Airport.
00:11The project, under the management of NITCO, was estimated to cost $1.286 billion and be
00:17completed by 2022.
00:20From her UNC podium on Monday night, the opposition leader quotes from the Mott MacDonald report
00:26into the terminal and its findings.
00:56She links what she said was NITCO's failure at proper project management to the 26% cost
01:08overruns and delays of 131%.
01:26The opposition leader says the consultants made recommendations, first off, to hire an
01:44international company with requisite experience to replace NITCO.
01:49Although we propose that NITCO is retained as owner, we suggest that NITCO is removed
01:55from the firing line and that total responsibility and control over project delivery is vested
02:01in the type of company described on point A, which is to find a company with the expertise
02:07and experience.
02:08Enter GLEADS, which was retained at the cost of U.S. $2.4 million or TT $16.8 million.
02:16A new schedule has been presented for a project completion date of the 23rd of June 2025.
02:24However, what is not shown from the airport's schedule is when operations will transfer
02:31from the existing terminal to the new terminal.
02:35The current date for the first flight is also not shown.
02:39However, we would expect this to be shortly after the finalization of competition activities
02:44on June 23, 2025.
02:48So the government is trying to rush the opening of that terminal without adequate testing.
02:54But the opposition leader does not expect the project to be completed by that date,
02:59and here's why.
03:00Chiang Mai Railway has now informed the Minister of Finance that it's experiencing severe cash
03:06flows due to increased costs and pending claims.
03:10And if these are not immediately addressed, it will cause further delays in completing
03:15the project.
03:16Additionally, she says companies have been replaced for curious reasons.
03:20I was told I had fired the SEP company, CEP, because SEP was not rubber-stamping the approvals
03:27on testing because the work was failing to meet specifications.
03:32They were not rubber-stamping.
03:34So instead of doing the work properly.
03:36The minister blames the government for sweeping the inconsistencies surrounding the terminal
03:41under the carpet.
03:42So this is Mutt MacDowell's report.
03:45It is showing that since 2023, Rowley's government and Herbert George and NITCO have been covering
03:51up the mess that this project is in, and they have been lying to the country.
03:57And Bassad Bassasso promises that's not something which will be overlooked.
04:02Anyone who rubber-stamps documents without proper testing will find themselves before
04:06the courthouse to get their bail copybook stamped.
04:10Anyone who's rubber-stamping, this is too serious a matter.
04:15Too serious a matter.
04:16It's an airport, an international airport.
04:18They'll have to bring in their bail copybook and get it stamped.
04:23Because we will not leave these things alone.
04:25We will not.
04:26Arvashi Tiwari, Rupanarayan TV6 News.
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