APNU+AFC lambasted over mismanagement of synthetic track projects by Sportds minister

The opposition APNU+AFC has been chastised for its poor management of the synthetic track projects in Regions Six and Ten by Culture, Youth and Sport Minister, Charles Ramson Jr.

Responding to questions posed by the opposition on Wednesday in the National Assembly, Minister Ramson drew attention to the $320M GUY Berbice synthetic track at Burnham Park in New Amsterdam, and the $179M GUY project at the Bayroc Community Centre Ground, Wismar, Linden, Region Ten, for which the contracts were signed in October 2018.

However, it was noted that while each project was estimated to be completed within six months, works on the tracks dragged on, with then Minister of Social Cohesion, Dr George Norton assuring Guyanese that the project would soon be completed.

“That was December 2019. None of that was completed, and here is the kicker, they promised that the track would be completed, first started by the end of 2018, then they assured that it would be completed by the end of 2019. Here is the kicker, they never even paid for the synthetic material,” Minister Ramson informed the National Assembly.

It was pointed out that contracts to source the synthetic material for the tracks were later awarded by the PPP/C Administration on May 31, 2021, to the tune of some €1.031M.

As such, the government also had to complete several projects to get to the stage of laying the asphalt, which was completed in early November last year.

Therefore, the laying of the synthetic material at the Berbice and Linden tracks is scheduled to commence in April.