Sophia upgrades under IDB-funded housing project ahead of schedule
Infrastructural upgrades under the Sophia segment of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) funded Adequate Housing and Urban Accessibility Programme are 25 per cent completed and the majority of the works are expected to be finished before the project end date of March 2020.
This was revealed by officials from the Central Housing and Planning Authority (CH&PA) following a walkabout around the community yesterday morning. The CH&PA is implementing the IDB-funded project, which provides two housing initiatives; the Core Home Support and Home Improvement Subsidy. The project will be executed in four districts: areas in Georgetown; Industry to LBI on the East Coast of Demerara; Eccles to Diamond/ Grove on the East Bank of Demerara; and La Parfait Harmonie in Region Three.
Speaking at the event, CHPA Chief Executive Officer Lelon Saul said that under the project, they will be spending approximately US$7.5 million in the Sophia, Greater Georgetown area, where they will upgrade 12 kilometres of roads to asphaltic concrete, upgrade the drains to concrete and upgrade two playfield areas along with other infrastructural works.
He said that 2,000 residents will benefit from a home improvement subsidy and 100 core houses will be built during the course of the project. For this year, the construction of 50 core houses as well as distribution of 300 home improvement subsidies will start.
According to the CH&PA Director of Projects Omar Narine, as it stands, the infrastructural works are 25 per cent completed and while the project is planned to end on March 10th next year, they are ahead of schedule.
Currently six contractors – S Jagmohan Hardware Supplies, Shiraz Bacchus Construction Service, KP Jagdeo Contracting Firm, H Nauth Contracting Service, Colin Talbot Contracting Service and Anirood Ramcharitar Contracting Service – are executing infrastructural development works that include upgrading roads to asphalt, constructing concrete drains and walkways along with other civil works.
Narine said that all of the contractors were selected through the National Procurement and Tender Administration Board process and currently $857 million worth in contracts are being executed.
“Our original contract time is March 10, 2020 but four of the six contractors are scheduled to be completed in November and that is very good status and progress of works… This is only the first phase of works which includes 12km of roads; and in the second phase, which is scheduled to be tendered in about three weeks, will see another upgrading of a potential 6km of road,” Narine said.
He also revealed that they are currently doing pre-qualification for the construction of the core houses. They are encouraging contractors from the area to elevate themselves and to get pre-qualified in order to be able to access contracts, he said.
Meanwhile, Project Engineer Anthony Ragnauth related that despite some delays due to the weather - which mainly affected road works - they were able to go ahead with the construction of culverts, reinforced concrete drains and revetments. Out of the eight bridges planned to be constructed, two have been completed and they are in the process of mobilising to start construction on another two, he said.
Giving a more detailed overview of the core houses and subsidies aspect of the project, Community Development Officer Donell Bess-Bascom explained that to date, they have completed a total of 456 house-to-house verification visits for home improvements and 87 house-to-house verification visits for the core homes aspect of the project.
“We are currently in the process of having the beneficiaries selected which right now is at the stage where the individual profiles are being prepared for each of the persons that score about 100 or more this time. And then we will move to a lower score depending on how many persons qualify,” she said.
Bess-Bascom explained that by the end of August to mid-September, they will be able to complete the beneficiary selection process and notify persons of the outcome of their applications.
“Another part of the project that I think it is important to emphasise is the extensive community participation. The community leaders across Sophia have been part of this entire process from the very beginning. As a matter of fact, they have influenced what was actually outlined in the operating manual for the programme,” she added.
Bess-Bascom explained that coming out of 2017, residents and community leaders would have insisted on there being clauses in contracts for residents to be employed for the ongoing works.
As a result, it has been included in the operating regulations of the programme that 30 per cent of the labour for the construction of the core houses especially, must come from the area. This provision has been included in the contracts.