Less than two years after it was established, the Government shut down the Secondary Roads Rehabilitation and Improvement Company Limited (SRRIC). The Government removed the existing board—deputy chairman Wendell Seecharan, Lincoln Anthony, Neville Adams, Shazim Mohammed, and Debra James—and appointed public servants from the Ministry of Finance, which includes deputy permanent secretary Jennifer Lutchman as chairman. The move comes after former chairman Herbert George resigned.
Two audits are being conducted into the company amid tensions between the company’s chief executive Antonio Ross and the Ministry of Works and Transport (MOWT) and a complaint lodged with the Office of the Procurement Regulator (OPR) on allegations of collusion, price-fixing, and bid-rigging, which was exclusively reported by Guardian Media.
What did the two-year-old company achieve?
SHALIZA HASSANALI
Senior Investigative Reporter
shaliza.hassanali@guardian.co.tt
When the Secondary Roads Rehabilitation and Improvement Company Ltd (SRRIC) was incorporated in 2022, the company was handed a list of 1,281 secondary roads scattered throughout the country that needed urgent upgrade works and rehabilitation.
On June 13, when the Government shut down the company, only 62 road-paving projects had been completed in nine regional corporations.
Mandated to repair and repave secondary roads to ease the frustration of thousands of motorists and pedestrians, SRRIC barely achieved its intended target when Government hit the brakes on them.
During a June 12 Public Administration and Appropriations Committee (PAAC) meeting, its chairman, Bridgid Annisette-George, questioned if there was tension between the MOWT and SRRIC, as reported exclusively by Guardian Media.
MOWT’s permanent secretary Sonia Francis-Harewood admitted that SRRIC and the ministry were not “agreeing directly on certain things, but I want to believe we can agree to disagree. We don’t have to be disagreeable.”
Annisette-George also asked if an audit into SRRIC was underway. CEO Antonio Ross said it was not an audit but a review. He said the company had an exit review with a team, and they highlighted various deficiencies in the organisation.
Francis-Yearwood interjected, saying, “The review and audit are still live.”
She said the review was initiated by the MOWT last October.
“The ministry wanted to get certain information in terms of the operations of the company to understand what was happening because we realised that things were taking too long.”
However, the MOWT was still awaiting information. “We have asked. We have sent a project charter.”
Francis-Yearwood said SRRIC’s last correspondence to the MOWT stated that “given that there is now a Central Audit going on, they will wait until that is completed.”
The PS further disclosed that the MOWT had an exit interview with Central Audit. Central Audit, she said, would provide a final report.
“The process is the final report will go to the Minister of Finance, and he decides if that goes to Cabinet.”
Money allocated to SRRIC
On February 5, 2024, Ross submitted in writing to PAAC an update on the improvements made and strategies put in place to address the challenges that impeded the company’s operational efficiency following a hearing in June 2023.
In the 65-page response, Ross stated that SRRIC was capitalised with $100 million, with another $100 million allocated under the MOWT for fiscal 2022-2023. However, attempts to draw down on the additional $100 million for fiscal 2022-2023 for road projects proved futile, “curtailing much-needed road works for the country in that period.”
It was also stated that SRRIC had projected 306 road projects for fiscal 2023–2024 with an overall estimated budget request of approximately $400 million ($387 in road projects and $13 million operational). However, only a $50 million budget was allocated for the current fiscal year, a significant reduction from its original request for road projects.
Ross said the area of contention was the provision of a detailed scope of work, which was provided. There was a list of 39 road rehabilitation projects in 12 of the 14 regional corporations, amounting to $51,470, 361.69, which they requested from the MOWT to begin work.
Breakdown of money for corporations
The Mayaro/Rio Claro and Penal/Debe corporations were excluded from these projects.
Having exceeded the $50 million allocation, SRRIC submitted a fresh “estimate cost/awarded sum” of $49,999,013.69.
• ↓A breakdown showed that Princes Town was to receive the lion’s share, with nine projects costing $15,263,403.
• ↓Trailing was Tunapuna with $8,751.506, which had four projects.
• ↓The six projects listed for San Juan/Laventille were estimated to cost $5,558,463.79.
• ↓Point Fortin’s six projects totalled $3,671.254.96.
• ↓Sangre Grande and Port-of-Spain each had two projects with an estimated figure of $3,513,316.75 and $3,186,901, respectively.
• ↓The least went to Diego Martin, which had one project priced at $419,976.67.
The list showed that the works to be undertaken were road resurfacing, drainage, and landslip repairs. 33 projects were scheduled to take 14 days. The remaining six were for a duration between two and three months. This was a total of 39 projects.
The list stated that the contractors were “awaiting confirmation of funds as per OPR guidelines.”
However, these 39 projects were never done.
Contracts awarded
According to SRRIC’s website, it awarded 52 projects for the period September 2023 to finish in January 2024.
Of the 52 projects, Carenage received 12, Diego Martin-18, Valencia-four, San Fernando-eight, Marabella-two, Moruga-three, Vistabella-one, and Santa Cruz-four.
The website stated the methods by which the contracts were awarded were “selective”.
The companies awarded are Coosal’s Construction Company Ltd-19 contracts, Conaft Ltd-16 contracts, Ricky Raghunanan Ltd-six contracts, Danny’s Enterprises Ltd-five contracts, General Earth Movers Ltd-four contracts, Renold, Dexter and Collin Creative Construction Ltd-one contract, and Trinidad and Tobago Innovative Contractors Ltd-one contract.
During an interview last year, Ross said the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development (MLGRD) forwarded a list of 1,281 roads that needed repairs under the secondary road network.
SRRIC was first placed under the (MLGRD). Last year it was shifted to MOWT but will now be under the Finance Ministry as the winding-up process begins.
Contractors owed $3.48M
Approximately 22.1 per cent of the nation’s roads (highways and main roads) fall under the MOWT’s jurisdiction, with 18.3 per cent being agricultural access roads.
The MLGRD is responsible for 43.1 per cent of the national road network. There are also orphaned roads.
When Ross appeared before the committee on June 12, he said SRRIC had completed 62 projects in nine corporations but named eight–Chaguanas, Couva, Princes Town, Sangre Grande, Diego Martin, Port-of-Spain, San Fernando, and San Juan/Laventille.
“Of the $100 million capital injection, we spent $62 million in measured works.”
Providing a breakdown of the $100 million provided, Ross said 10.94 per cent was operational costs, of which six per cent was for salaries.
One per cent was board fees, while NIS and maintenance had to be considered.
He said SRRIC owed contractors $3.48 million.
Annisette-George asked Ross if the 39 projects previously identified were included in the 62 that were delivered, and he said, no.
Francis-Yearwood told the committee that it was not the intention of the MOWT to keep SRRIC from working, but there are procedures and processes to be followed “because, at the end of the day, it’s state funds,” they are dealing with.
Ross spoke about the difficulties SRRIC faced in delivering its mandate, stating the company had planned to hire 82 people, which would have cost $21 million a year.
“We got a lot of pushback that the bill was too high.”
Their workforce was cut to 33 for $7 million annually. Inadequate staffing, Ross said carried a lot of risks.
Corporations weigh in
The Sunday Guardian reached out to the 14 corporation heads to inquire how many roads were paved in their regions by SRRIC.
1 road paved in CTTRC
Couva/Tabaquite/Talparo chairman Ryan Rampersad said, as far as he knows, “only one road was paved in Chase Village.”
Rampersad said SRRIC never consulted with his corporation. During his tenure as vice chairman, Rampersad said the corporation was asked to submit five roads to SRRIC. “We did that, and we never heard anything from them. And just like that, we saw Sushila Drive being paved. We didn’t even know which company was paving it until after it was completed.”
Rampersad said SRRIC held no consultation with the corporation and the road was “not a priority. It just needed a little patching. That money spent there could have been better spent elsewhere.”
Penal/Debe has no info on roads paved
Penal/Debe chairman Gowtam Maharaj said he had no information on roads paved in his corporation by the company.
6 streets paved in Chaguanas
Chaguanas Mayor Faaiq Mohammed identified six streets in the borough paved by SRRIC.
4 pending projects in Tunapuna
Chairman of the Tunapuna/Piarco Regional Corporation, Josiah Austin, said there were “four pending projects” by the company in St Joseph and St Augustine.
No roads paved in Arima
Former Arima mayor Cagney Casimire said to his knowledge, no roads were paved” by SRRIC in the borough. Casimire, who demitted office last September, said the corporation submitted 15 roads for urgent repair to the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development (MLGRD) in 2022, but it was never done. Under his tenure, Casimire said almost $2 million was spent on road upgrades by the corporation
A few roads paved in Princes Town
Princes Town Regional Corporation chairman Gowrie Roopnarine said only a few roads were paved by SRRIC in his region. “It was only in the Moruga district that these roads were repaired,” Roopnarine said.
Quite a few roads paved in San Fernando
San Fernando City Corporation (SFCC) Mayor Robert Parris said SRRIC paved “quite a few roads” in the borough but could not remember its location. Under the SFCC’s local roads and bridges programme 2021–2022, a total of 22 roads were paved, costing $4,048,310. For the 2022–2023 period, the corporation strengthened and paved 41 roads worth $10 million.
Grande Corp unaware if roads paved
If SRRIC paved roads in the Sangre Grande Regional Corporation, its chairman, Kenwyn Phillip, said they were never informed.
WhatsApp messages were sent to the heads of Point Fortin, Mayaro/Rio Claro, San Juan/Laventille, Siparia and Diego Martin regional corporations but they failed to respond.
The Sunday Guardian could not contact Mayaro/Rio Claro chairman Raymond Cozier.