Panel submits report on tenders related to transmission stations in Mutla’a area
Lack of coordination, commitment cited
KUWAIT CITY, Jan 18: According to informed sources from the Public Authority for Housing Welfare (PAHW), the investigation committee that was recently formed based on the recommendation of the State Audit Bureau to deal with the tenders for the supply, extension and maintenance of the six ground cables for the main transmission stations in Mutla’a area has submitted its report to the State
Minister for
Housing Affairs Abdullah Marafie last Thursday, reports Al-Anba daily.
They said, “The results of the committee’s report was quite similar to the report of the fact-finding committee that was formed by the former minister of Housing Affairs, Dr Rana Al-Fares after the six tenders were abruptly canceled without mentioning the reasons. The matter was also identical to the decision of the grievance committee that requested the exclusion of one of the companies and the study of the bids of the next companies as per the law regulating this matter”.
The sources indicated that the contracting committee within the corporation was reluctant to issue its decision some time ago, even though the residential board of directors issued its decision regarding the aforementioned tenders and signed contracts based on the recommendations of the fact-finding committee, in preparation for the start of the implementation of the cable-supply project to operate the main power stations in Mutla’a area for which the plot owners had obtained building permits some time ago.
The sources expressed surprise over the fact that the Deputy Director General for Financial and Administrative Affairs and the Chairman of the Contracting Committee at PAHW Engr Salem Diab had submitted a request for periodic leave as of Jan 10 and assigned the Director of the Financial Affairs Department Safaa Kalander to carry out his duties during this period when the members are supposed to vote on the award decision.
They indicated that there are differences within the five-member contracting committee regarding the award decision.
The sources said it is expected that the committee will submit its report next week to the Minister of Housing Affairs based on the results of the reports and recommendations of the supervisory authorities which were formed since the start of the crisis “Six Tender Problem”, thus ending the procedures of those tenders that were not awarded for a long time due to which a number of housing affairs officials were referred to the Kuwait AntiCorruption Authority.
Meanwhile, after the coordination meeting held at the Public Authority for Housing Welfare last week, in the presence of the ministers of Housing, Electricity and Public Works, and senior officials of the relevant ministries, and the announcement of a timetable for the delivery of power supply to only four suburbs, the head of the Al-Mutla’a City Committees, Misha’al Al-Hajri, confirmed there is lack of coordination between government agencies and the lack of commitment to the schedule between the parties.
He added, this will cause further delay in providing services to the Mutla’a City in general, and all that has been said before, and this will be the main cause which will end up in crises due to lack of coordination and the commitment of the concerned authorities because this should have been completed in April 2019.
Al-Hajri pointed out that the Ministry of Electricity announced the delivery of power supply to four suburbs - N11, N10, N9 and N8 - only, while ignoring eight other suburbs where power supply was expected to be given this month. This is a fabrication of another crisis in the largest housing project in the region.
He called on all concerned parties to coordinate and adhere to the schedule of existing and future projects - electricity supply to all residential suburbs and the Ministry of Works must work on the sewage networks that are already behind schedule to prevent environmental disaster in the Al-Mutla’a housing project.