Vice President, Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo on Thursday refused to answer questions regarding progress made in the construction of the highly controversial Belle Vue Pump station to be built by social media commentator, Mikhail Rodrigues. Instead, he directed reporters to the Ministry of Agriculture or Critic himself who had just entered the room.
When asked, Critic refrained from giving any detailed or reasonable breakdown as to the state of the project or its rate of completion. Instead of saying how far along the project has gone, Critic assured that it will be completed and invited reporters to visit the site.
He said, “Y’all don’t worry, the pump station gon build. Is a billion-dollar project yuh know. Must visit the site deh nah man, y’all must visit the site. Thing doing, pile driving deh all kind of thing.”
As of November, last year, the Public Procurement Commission (PPC) noted that the project was only at 4% when it was supposed to be at least half way completed. The PPC reportedly told the National Drainage and Irrigation Authority (NDIA) in a letter dated February 27, 2025 that the $865 million project had no realistic chance of being completed by the deadline, July 29, 2025.
Stabroek News had reported that pursuant to an investigation of the awarding of the contract to Rodrigues, the PPC had published a summary of its findings on April 16, 2024. It found defects in the award of the contract to Rodrigues though his company Tepui Inc.
One of the recommendations from that report had said that since the contract had already been entered into, it was recommended that the NDIA monitor the performance of the contractor who operates under the name Tepui Inc and if found to be in breach then the necessary steps including termination of the contract be considered to ensure that there is value for money.
It was also found that Rodrigues had never built a pump station before and was awarded the contract ahead of experienced bidders.
On January 31,2025, Minister of Agriculture, Zulfikar Mustapha told the National Assembly that only 10% of work has been completed on the pump station despite advancing $182m to the company.
The $182 million has been allocated to cover mobilization costs and materials, including timber, as part of the ongoing project. Mustapha on January 31 acknowledged the slow progress, but assured the House that the project would be completed by August 2025, despite the delays. “The pump station is still under contract,” Mustapha said.
The Auditor General in his report tabled in Parliament last year also flagged the project
