Duguid again defends China-built house deal

Government’s purchase of prefabricated houses from China for displaced families from storm damage came under the microscope continued Wednesday as Housing Minister Dr William Duguid sought to dismiss the criticism that Barbadians contractors were sidelined.

The deal is worth $29 million out of the $50 million recently voted by Parliament for the housing ministry in a supplemental appropriation.

More than 130 contractors have so far been mobilized and his ministry is moving to assign about 300 to repair the damage from the June 16 freak storm and Hurricane Elsa on July 2, he said.

Dr Duguid also declared there’s room for more contractors to come on board with several projects underway.

“We need more contractors because when you add the amount of repairs we have to do, almost 700 repairs and then the amount of rebuilds, 400 to 500,” Dr Duguid said on Voice of Barbados radio’s Down to Brass Tacks.

He also said the housing ministry was also preparing emergency housing which is being built by graduates of  Samuel Jackman Prescod Institute of Technology, Government’s skills training and others.

He also pointed out that 200 workers are currently engaged in the relocation programme for squatters in Rock Hall, St Philip and others were involved in the construction of quads at White Park Road, St Michael and other developments including Rices, St Philip and Todds, St George.

Amid criticism that Government should have first turned to Barbadian artisans, tradespeople and small contractors to build the houses before entering the $29 million arrangement between the National Housing Corporation and East-West Building Solutions, Dr Duguid insisted that it’s local artisans and not foreign workers who will be erecting the houses.

The remaining $20.3 million was voted for the repairs and rebuild programme being coordinated by the ministry.

Dr Duguid declared: “We have already started bringing in about 300 people, they will first be starting by building the foundation, once the foundations are completed, they will transfer over to put the houses together, the developer will be here to start the training…and within two weeks of training they will be able to put these houses together.

“So it means that our artisans will not be losing out because they still have to help us build the foundations for the house, and it  is not that people are coming here  from overseas and building the houses themselves.

“This is a progression and we cannot continue working in the same way and expect better results. We also have to look at new technologies and other ways of getting things done.”

He stressed that it was imperative to have a speedy housing solution for the families displaced earlier this month.

“It’s hundreds of families right now that are having to live at relatives, having to live at friends, having to live at rental accommodations in cramped conditions, and I could not be unconscious to the fact or imagine that  people would be living in difficult conditions, we have people living in their car who has been displaced in the hurricane,” said Dr Duguid. “We have people who have moved to one-half of their house because of the other half of the roof is gone.”

Government is paying $100,000 for a 700 square feet house but Dr Duguid said the money would be recouped from installation of photovoltaics on the roof that will earn revenue.

The houses will include single two- and three-bedroom homes on private property, and duplexes and quads on Government land.
(SD)