Cost overruns a big headache for Kamla administration

Attorney General Anand Ramlogan told the Senate Tuesday 10 projects udnertaken by Urban Development Corporation of Trinidad and Tobago (UDeCOTT) collectively incurred over $4 billion in cost overruns and over 20 years in delays for completion beyond the scheduled time.

He said cost overruns on projects received by the family of former cabinet minister John Rahael from the Manning PNM administration amounted to more than $1 billion.

Rahael is also the campaign manager for the People's National Movement (PNM) for the July 26 Local Government Election (LGE).

Ramlogan said Trinity Housing and Broadway Properties won the contracts.

The Attorney General said the Kamla Government has inherited an economy burdened with many “deals and price tags.”

He added that the main reason for the poor shape of the economy today is "mismanagement, waste and corruption of the previous administration... it is deals, deals and more deals...Everywhere you turn there was a deal...every ministry, every file on government operations.”

However Alwin Chow, chief executive officer of Trinity and Broadway, called Ramlogan’s claims “totally and absolutely false and irrevocably wrong.”

Chow told the Trinidad Guardian, “I know the Honourable Attorney General will correct this at the first opportunity. It is so wrong—it is complete misunderstanding of the facts. There is not even a scintilla of correctness in this.”

Chow said much of Ramlogan stated as cost overruns was actually the original contract values.

Here's a list of projects with cost overruns:

• Chaguanas Corporation administrative complex—over budget by $10 million—24-month delay
• Chancery Lane complex—$300 million over budget—24-month delay
• Government campus and Legal Affairs tower—$300 million over budget—18-month delay
• Waterfront project—$1.3 billion over budget—six-month delay
• Education Ministry tower—$300 million over budget—20-month delay
• Performing Arts Centre—$234 million over budget—one-year delay
• South PRC—$238 million over budget—13 months overdue
• Beverly Hills Housing—$106 million cost overrun—65-month delay
• Lara Stadium—several million cost overrun—41-months delay
• Diplomatic Centre—$700 million cost overrun—five-month delay