Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar yesterday announced the establishment of a commission of enquiry into the construction of the Housing Development Corporation’s (HDC) Las Alturas Towers housing development at Lady Young Road, Morvant.
She made the comment during her contribution to the 2015 budget debate in the House of Representatives, Tower D, Waterfront Centre, Port-of-Spain, saying the country needed to know more about the wanton wastage that occurred on a project from which no citizen has been able to benefit.
Persad-Bissessar said the probe was being commissioned after two of the buildings (H and I) in the $26 million project were demolished because the land on which it was constructed was unstable. Persad-Bissessar said the Udecott board had agreed to award a contract of $67.62 million to China Jiangsu International Corporation (CJIC) for the construction of 297 apartments, but Udecott only managed Blocks A and B in which 56 units were built.
The PM said on January 24, 2008, the contract for phase two of the project was signed between the HDC and CJIC. She said at that time, Andre Monteil was chairman of the HDC, Opposition Senator Faris Al-Rawi was a director and Emily Dick-Forde was Minister of Housing. She gave the timeline of events:
• On December 8, 2008: CJIC commenced infrastructure works for building “H” and “I”.
• In November 2009: Signs of cracking were observed on the ground floor slab of building “H”. She noted that since 2005 the authorities were being told of problems on this site.
• In January 2010: Buildings H and I were finally completed.
She said although cracks were observed in November 2009, Geotech Associates were only asked to do a second soil report in October 2010 after the buildings were already completed. “Should the public today do like the PNM did and sweep this matter under the carpet? Should these high profile PNM members not be able to explain what happened under their watch?” she asked.
According to Persad-Bissessar, Las Alturas was “designed by the PNM, contractor hired under the PNM, started and completed under the PNM, paid for under the PNM, collapsed under the PNM.” She said a project that should have provided homes for 48 families, cost this country over $26 million, plus the cost of demolition. She added: “The building was condemned as it was finished. Who is responsible?
“Instead of getting answers we are made to watch the unpleasant spectacle of seeing the two former PNM housing ministers, both saying ‘It wasn’t me.’” Persad-Bissessar said citizens “have a right to know who is accountable for this construction disaster,” adding that it may become the new flag-bearer for Opposition Leader Dr Keith Rowley, who she claimed was also at the helm of the housing ministry at some stage as the fiasco progressed.
She said the members of the commission are to be determined at the next meeting of the Cabinet.
The PM said the commission would make “findings, observations and recommendations relating to whether there are any grounds for criminal and civil proceedings against any person or entity; whether criminal proceedings should therefore be recommended to the Director of Public Prosecutions for his consideration; and whether civil proceedings should be recommended to the Attorney General for his consideration.”
Among its terms of reference are to determine:
• The procedures, practices and procurement processes employed by the Board and Management of Udecott and HDC in the award of the contract to undertake the Project.
• The circumstances concerning the procurement process and the award of all contracts from the inception of the project.
• Whether the Board of HDC and Udecott and/or a director or directors of HDC and Udecott fulfilled or complied with the responsibilities and duties imposed upon them:
a) by law;
b) by good corporate governance and practice;
By commissioning the construction of the Las Alturas towers on the site at Lady Young Morvant.
