‘UNFAIR POLITICS’
FOR five kilometres of road, contractor Arvin Kalloo and his company Kall Co are now at the centre of criticism about his company’s political connections.
It doesn’t matter that at $400 million, Kall Co’s bid was the lowest of the lot.
This works out to $80 million for one kilometre of highway.
What has sparked concern is how closely affiliated he was to the former People’s Partnership government, how his company received hundreds of millions in State contracts, how Kall Co was fired from the Maracas Beach upgrade and how its offices were recently raided by the Anti-Corruption Bureau.
Also, the familial connection between Minister of Works and Transport Rohan Sinanan and the Kalloo family has raised questions of possible nepotism.
Kalloo, the chairman of construction company Kall Co, says the criticism is unfair.
The Churchill-Roosevelt Highway extention to Manzanilla, the first phase of which is five kilometres long, is the first major infrastructure project of the People’s National Movement (PNM) Government after two years in office.
The construction of the highway extension to Point Fortin resumed earlier this year by contractor Junior Sammy, and the Government also announced its intention to construct the Curepe Interchange, a project initially embarked upon by the former People’s Partnership government but later shelved.
The project is to be funded through the Government’s Infrastructure Development Fund.
In the face of transparency questions of political ties, Kalloo told the Sunday Express many of them are unfair and ill-founded.
He noted out of 20-plus jobs for which the Kall Co tendered at the National Infrastructure Development Company Ltd (NIDCO), he was awarded only two in the past two years.
“We won this job after a rigorous tender. We are committed to using local content throughout this project which, we think, will positively impact on the economy,” he told the Sunday Express yesterday.
Kalloo said the cost of the project to taxpayers was insured, as it is backed by bonds.
“The bonds are stringent. If, for any reason, we do not deliver, the Government can cash in. We just want to do the work,” he said.
“This job is just five kilometres. Kall Co has built more than 200 km of roads with a team of experienced engineers. We will deliver,” he added.
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Image: punttim (Pixabay)