Poorly-laid pipes now costing $2M to fix! Problem ignored since ‘it wasn’t a good look at election time’
Pipes which were reportedly laid incorrectly around the time of the territory’s last General Election is now costing the Andrew Fahie-led administration $2 million to rectify.
Speaking in the House of Assembly Monday, June 22, Premier Fahie said the pipes were laid as part of road works that were done on the eastern end of Tortola under the previous NDP administration.
The Premier claimed that authorities were fully aware of the faulty piping but did not fix the issue, “because it wouldn’t look good during election time”.
“So the same roads up East that have been paved, when we start to dig them up they are going to start to get ahead of us with the ‘street melee’. But, the fact is there were issues with the project, and it was found out but they kept going. Now we have to find a fresh $2 million to deal with this because the problems up in East End/Long Look are horrible,” Fahie stated.
He continued: “Now we have to find the money to fix the Irma problems and fix the COVID-19 problems, fix the Jost Van Dyke’s problems, fix the sewerage in East End. All or most of the money was already allocated either through loans, grants or whatever the case may be and they weren’t done. I am not saying this out of politics, it’s just a fact.”
The Premier said this new information surfaced while the government was trying to regularize some old financial accounts.
Discrepancies
According to the Premier, the Auditor General’s Report for 2015 — which was only recently tabled in the House — also uncovered a number of discrepancies in projects done that year.
In terms of quality of work, the Premier said there is not much to show for the millions the previous NDP government sourced from the Social Security Board to conduct those projects.
“We are no better off with the roads. Show me any road right now that we can say we are glad that this $16 million has done. Maybe one or two are a little better but hardly anything to show,” Fahie said.
In statements seemingly directed at current Opposition legislators who were part of the previous NDP government, the Premier added: “When you (my administration) go to get the grant for the people to help them in a meaningful way, then you have the same people who took it to do other things with now trying to lead a charge with others that you (my administration) ‘raided the SSB’. We didn’t raid it. We went to get help for the people,” he argued.
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Oh Premier give it a break. Your administration is not without fault?
Let talk about the poorly executed administration of the re-entry process for BVIslander to return home?
People are complaining about applications they have submitted for weeks now without a response. Check yourself before you criticise others.
Exactly. They’re acting like they are so perfect. They’re in charge now, so man up and do what is best for the country and stop with the complaining….they sound worse than a bitter ex
Who did the work? What company was given the project? State the name and make them fix the work and if they don’t sue them. Also ban them from any future work in the Territory. Wtf is wrong with you people. You just can’t seem to go a day without corruption.
No evidence and never will have, but this one quacking.
The telephone cable which came in at brewers bay and went out at nanny cay the road was dug up and never reinstated. There are pot holes on the brewers bay road which would bring a car to its axel. Also the Water Pipe installed still has holes in the road. It a project it started its the government job not to pay until its finished.
These holes to a tourist who does not know the road would flip a car over easily. The Scooters are being help accountable for the Insurance etc. Why is the comunity not holding the Government to account to make sure the roads are drivable and safe. Someone signed off on these projects. This was done before the current government but they are holding the previous administration accountable. Good for them.
If only Marlon knew how to oppose wasteful spending over his 2 terms as part of government East End would have been like paradise.
Yeah, and what about Mr. Mark Vanterpool in charge of that Department? These should be investigated by AG, like the 7.2 millions of BVI Airways. Companies that did the work are responsible.
Say it as it is Mr Primer.
Taxpayers should expect and getter return on their investment. Taxpayers deserve value for money. Government construction and maintenance projects are typically poorly designed, overpriced, customarily of poor quality and rarely come in on time. Now, taxpayers have to pay for work twice, thrice…..etc. Unacceptable. Every construction and maintenance project should be inspected, certified for payment and come with a warranty.
Who inspected and certified this project for payment. It does not matter if the work were done in house, not outsource, for the responsibility to the taxpayers is still the same. Government has a moral responsibility to taxpayers to deliver efficacy and effectiveness on fiduciary responsibility. Anything less is a dismal failure and the culprits need to be called out, put on blast and shamed. It is shameful that some people are willing to sacrifice their ethics and professional responsibility on the altar of politics, for politicians and to further self interest.
If it is faulty work why aren’t you going after the contractor like was done with BVI airways. These people need to get their acts together. The issue is the same but the govt response is very different, I wonder why?
What is happening is easy. You make public news about things such as bad pipes laid, lower cost at airport, bad financial protocols and then you sweep in and fix it. The public is happy and they take the credit. It’s just politics at its best. As long as the job gets done that is our concern. All the media coverage for everything is getting old.
who was the inspector?