From left, Richard Sealy, Patrick Todd, David Thompson, Michael Lashley and Ronald Jones

by ERIC SMITH

THE BARBADOS LABOUR PARTY (BLP) Administration came under sustained criticism on Sunday night for the high expenditure and cost overruns on the new Government office complex at Warrens, St Michael.

A number of Democratic Labour Party (DLP) speakers called on Government to give a clear breakdown on the project, starting from the time the contract was awarded up to the existing situation.

Richard Sealy, MP for St Michael South Central, in whose constituency the DLP's Sunday night meeting was held at Quakers Road, Carrington Village, described the project as "a fiasco". He added he had been raising questions about it for a number of years.

The multi-storeyed complex was originally expected to have been built over 90 weeks at a cost of $36 million. However, the construction took eight years following a public disagreement between building contractor Barrack Construction Limited and the National Housing Corporation (NHC). The China State Corporation was brought in to complete it.

Then two weeks ago, after four years of arbitration, former Chief Justice Sir Denys Williams awarded, along with interest calculated, near $50 million to Barrack.

DLP executive council member, Chris Sinckler, in addressing the matter on Sunday night, said he had always felt the project was too large for Barrack Construction. On the NHC itself, he claimed it had been bastardised, no longer focusing on its primary business of housing for the poor.

Another parliamentarian, David Estwick of St Philip West, said it was important Government publicly point out all those who have been involved in the project from its inception.