Kallco principals to meet Guyana minister today
Guyana
FACING the possibility of being blacklisted in Guyana and removed from two ongoing projects there, the principals of Kallco are expected to meet with that country’s Public Works minister this afternoon.
Guyana’s Minister of Public Works Bishop Juan Edghill confirmed the meeting with the Express yesterday.
Attempts to contact Kallco’s managing director Arvin Kalloo for comment on the situation, however, proved futile yesterday.
In 2021 Kalloo signed a contract valued at over Guy$513.7 million for Kallco Guyana Incorporated to construct offices at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA).
This is one of two projects that Kallco Guyana is currently involved in that Edghill said the company could possibly be removed from.
The meeting between Kallco’s principals and the ministry comes one week after Edghill told the Express that Kallco Guyana Incorporated is a “non-performing contractor” and should therefore not be permitted to do any more work in that country.
Edghill announced that he intended to take steps to ensure that is done, including having the contractor removed from ongoing projects.
However, Kallco’s attorneys said they believe Edghill’s words are “highly defamatory, not justified” and that this newspaper should be sued if it writes the story.
Kallco’s attorneys have denied the claims against the company.
This is the latest in an ongoing situation involving Kallco Guyana Incorporated and the Public Works Ministry, arising out of ongoing roadworks in Guyana.
It all began late last month when the Ministry of Public Works in Guyana, signalled its intention to issue letters of poor and non-performance to contractor Kallco Guyana Incorporated, accompanied by specific instructions to urgently address the issues pertaining to a billion-Guyanese dollar road improvement project on the East Coast Demerara Highway.
Tomorrow’s meeting, however, is not the first time that Kallco has tried to plead its case to the minister.
Kallco personnel were also summoned to the minister’s office, where they were ordered to submit a proposal outlining plans for completing the portion of billion-dollar roadworks project on time.
That document was eventually submitted.
“It is clear from what has been presented to us both in writing and in printed form that Kallco won’t be able to complete the project in the stipulated time,” Edghill told the Express during a WhatsApp call last week.
“And therefore we have deemed them a non-performing contractor,” he said.
Edghill said the ministry will be working to ensure it follows the terms and conditions of Kallco’s contract.
But “they should not be getting any other work”, he added.
The Ministry of Public Works is expected to approach the National Procurement and Tender Administration Board (NPTAB) to discuss blacklisting Kallco Guyana Inc as a “non-performing contractor”.
Image: pexels-fauxels
This is one of two projects that Kallco Guyana is currently involved in that Edghill said the company could possibly be removed from.
The meeting between Kallco’s principals and the ministry comes one week after Edghill told the Express that Kallco Guyana Incorporated is a “non-performing contractor” and should therefore not be permitted to do any more work in that country.
Edghill announced that he intended to take steps to ensure that is done, including having the contractor removed from ongoing projects.
However, Kallco’s attorneys said they believe Edghill’s words are “highly defamatory, not justified” and that this newspaper should be sued if it writes the story.
Kallco’s attorneys have denied the claims against the company.
This is the latest in an ongoing situation involving Kallco Guyana Incorporated and the Public Works Ministry, arising out of ongoing roadworks in Guyana.
It all began late last month when the Ministry of Public Works in Guyana, signalled its intention to issue letters of poor and non-performance to contractor Kallco Guyana Incorporated, accompanied by specific instructions to urgently address the issues pertaining to a billion-Guyanese dollar road improvement project on the East Coast Demerara Highway.
Tomorrow’s meeting, however, is not the first time that Kallco has tried to plead its case to the minister.
Kallco personnel were also summoned to the minister’s office, where they were ordered to submit a proposal outlining plans for completing the portion of billion-dollar roadworks project on time.
That document was eventually submitted.
“It is clear from what has been presented to us both in writing and in printed form that Kallco won’t be able to complete the project in the stipulated time,” Edghill told the Express during a WhatsApp call last week.
“And therefore we have deemed them a non-performing contractor,” he said.
Edghill said the ministry will be working to ensure it follows the terms and conditions of Kallco’s contract.
But “they should not be getting any other work”, he added.
The Ministry of Public Works is expected to approach the National Procurement and Tender Administration Board (NPTAB) to discuss blacklisting Kallco Guyana Inc as a “non-performing contractor”.
Last week in response to an attempt to get a comment on Edghill’s claims an e-mail from Kalloo’s attorneys Devesh Maharaj and Associates was received by the Express, titled “Proposed action for libel”.
It stated, “Our client’s principal was sent a WhatsApp message from your Mr Joel Julien, from the newspaper requesting that our client’s principal contact him about an ongoing situation with Kallco Guyana Inc.
“Counsel for Kallco, Mr Devesh Maharaj, was contacted by our client’s principal and our Mr Maharaj had a brief conversation with Mr Julien. Mr Julien informed Mr Maharaj that he had certain conversations with Minister Edghill concerning our client’s on-going works in Guyana. Further to this, Mr Julien stated that Mr Edghill made certain statements to him. These statements are highly defamatory and statements which our client denies and is of the opinion that if Mr Edghill made those statements he was not justified in so doing.
“We have taken the precaution of not reciting the statements that Mr Julien has made so as not to perpetuate the libel and we put you on notice that should those statements be published by Mr Julien, the newspaper or any of the arms of your news network, our client will immediately commence legal proceedings against you without delay for the obvious damage that these defamatory statements are likely to cause,” the legal letter added.
image: pexels-fauxels