The Minister of Roads and Highways, Governs Kwame Agbodza, has directed the Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Highways Authority (GHA) to activate the necessary termination process of the contract for the construction of the 18.7 kilometres Bogoso-Prestea Road.
He said the contractor, Black Oak, moved to the site in March this year to clear the road, after which he had not been on site.
In his view, the contractor had not shown any commitment to work on the road, which is a priority project.
As a result, he said the residents of the two towns demonstrated and held press conferences to register their displeasure.
“We have been calling him and he said he would come and I think somewhere last month he brought some equipment, did the clearing and left again,” he said.
The minister gave the order when he led a team of engineers from the Roads Ministry and the GHA on the project to assess the progress of work on the major road last Tuesday.
No money paid yet
Mr Agbodza said no money had been paid to the contractor yet.
“He is not showing any interest in doing the work. When contractors begin to pick and choose because they do not have drawings, it means there is something that they do not want to talk about,” he said.
The minister, who appeared dismayed, questioned the contractor’s reason for not being on site to speak to the team.
According to him, the Bogoso-Prestea Road was an important one that could not be left to “someone who is not ready”.
“We need somebody who sees the urgency to address the concerns of the stakeholders here,” Mr Agbodza said.
He pointed out that in spite of the assurances he gave to the contractor to bring certificates for payment, he had not brought even a single certificate to his office.
“He got this job and he has been persuaded on countless occasions. He came to the office with the MP and Nananom have spoken to him, but he has done less than one per cent so far,” he said.
Termination
Responding, the Chief Executive of the GHA, Mallam Isaah Ishak, said the authority would issue a caution letter to the contractor immediately.
He said if the contractor failed to heed the warning, the authority would terminate the contract.
Unhappy with the Chief Executive Officer’s response, Mr Agbodza said writing a letter to the contractor would not change his (contractor) behaviour.
“Nobody fears the letter because they think it is the usual thing we do.
“If I had my way, let us terminate the contract and get somebody more capable to do the work,” he said.
Source:
www.graphic.com.gh
