ASH. REGIONAL MINISTER GETS TOUGH WITH CONTRACTORS
The Ashanti
Regional Minister, Simon Osei Mensah, says he will not sign any certificate
submitted to him for projects purporting to have been completed unless he is
fully satisfied that, indeed, work has been done according to specification in
line with the project contract.
Already, he has raised issues with some of the
road projects said to have been executed for which the contractors have
submitted Certificates to his office seeking clearance for payment to be
effected.
He was peaking to journalists in Kumasi after inspecting work on
selected feeder roads in the Ashanti region to acquaint himself with the work
done as against dictates of the respective project contracts.
He was
accompanied by the Regional Director of Feeder Roads, Peter Yawson.
At all the
sites visited, the projects appeared completed for which reason the contractors
had left the sites.
The Regional
Minister, even though had scheduled to inspect only the eight point-seven
kilometer Dadiase-Nyinampong-Dome road in the Asante Mampong Municipality,
ended up visiting the sites of many other similar projects so as to be sure
that the documents presented to him are not to deceive him.
The other feeder
roads he inspected are the 34 point-five kilometer Wiamoase-Kofiase road in the
Sekyere South district and the Asokore-Nkwakwaanua road among others.
Mr. Osei
Mensah said based on his observation of the projects done, he will first seek
the expert advice of engineers of the Feeder and Urban Roads Department and
later refer the contract documents to the sector Minister for his opinion
before recommending payment of the contract sum.
Touching specifically on the
Dadiase-Nyinampong-Dome and Others road projects being funded by the Ghana Road
Fund, the Regional Minister asked the Contractor, M/S Kinsadu and Co. to
further clarify the remaining component of the project referred to as ‘Others’
for inspection.
On the quality of the road projects inspected, the Regional
Minister said it could only be ascertained after the rainy season but added
that that would not be a major factors to influence his decision to whether to
sign the Certificates or not.
This is because every physical project contract
has Defect period during which the contractor is obliged to remedy any defects
that could emerge upon completion.
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