—says commissioning must be followed by scrutiny of performance
Opposition MP Ganesh Mahipaul has welcomed the completion of the $650 million Canal No. 1 Pump Station but says the authorities should disclose its final cost, approved extensions and whether penalties were imposed for delays.
Responding to questions from Kiskadee Watch following Wednesday’s commissioning, Mahipaul said the project had not attracted the same level of concern as some other pump stations and that, to his knowledge, the difficulties responsible for its delays had been addressed.
“I am happy that the Canal No. 1 Pump Station has finally been completed and commissioned,” he said.
“The delays were attributed to genuine concerns which, as far as I am aware, were subsequently addressed and rectified.”
Agriculture Minister Zulfikar Mustapha commissioned the Region Three facility, which the ministry says has four drainage pumps with a combined capacity of 580 cubic feet per second and will improve drainage for approximately 5,000 acres.
The ministry also said the project included a community centre valued at approximately $60 million.
Mahipaul described Canal No. 1 as the cheapest of the pump station projects under discussion and said its completion was a positive development. Attention must now turn to whether it operates effectively and delivers the intended benefits, he added.
However, he said he could not independently confirm the final financial and contractual position.
“I have not received sufficient official information to independently confirm the final project cost, the details of any approved extensions, or whether liquidated damages were imposed,” Mahipaul stated.
“These are matters that should be clearly disclosed by the relevant authorities so that the public can properly assess the project’s delivery against its original contractual terms.”
The project, undertaken by Well Built Construction Service, had previously featured among delayed pump station contracts questioned by Mahipaul.
Stabroek News reported in October 2023 that he had identified May 31, 2023 as its scheduled completion date. The National Drainage and Irrigation Authority (NDIA) attributed delays to obtaining approval to demolish a community centre within the construction zone and relocating its occupants, including a National Library sub-office.
The authority said the affected pump station projects had received extensions approved by the National Procurement and Tender Administration Board. At the signing of the Canal No. 1 contract in early 2022, Mustapha had warned contractors that deadlines would not be extended.
In June 2024, Mustapha subsequently told residents at a Bagotville meeting that the Canal No. 1 station was expected to be completed by the end of July that year, Stabroek News reported.
Asked about the Auditor General’s finding concerning the project’s performance bond, Mahipaul said the issue warranted attention.
“As far as I am aware, the defects that surrounded this particular pump station were corrected,” he said.
His response did not specify whether the performance bond itself had been extended or otherwise amended to address the coverage identified by the auditor.
Writing in Stabroek News in December 2025, former Auditor General Anand Goolsarran noted, in his examination of the 2024 Auditor General’s Report, that the Canal No. 1 project’s performance bond did not cover the full defects liability period as required under the contract.
Mahipaul said operationalisation, maintenance and long-term performance now required attention to ensure that the investment delivered its intended benefits.
On his earlier request for a Public Procurement Commission investigation into several pump station contracts, he said the commission was not currently constituted. He intended to re-engage it once it was reconstituted and pursue scrutiny of outstanding projects that continued to raise concerns.
Mahipaul also credited Mustapha with being forthcoming in answering several parliamentary questions on pump stations.
“Parliamentary scrutiny and the provision of information are important, and that transparency should continue,” he said.
However, he maintained that the minister had yet to fulfil a commitment to provide Public Sector Investment Programme information for all his capital projects. Providing those records would allow Parliament and the public to monitor implementation more effectively, he argued.
“Ultimately, I welcome the completion of the Canal No. 1 Pump Station. It is good to see a project that was delayed finally reach completion. But commissioning is not the end of accountability,” Mahipaul said.
“We must now monitor its operational performance while continuing to demand answers and proper oversight for the other pump station projects that remain outstanding.”
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