A release from the Indian High Commission in Guyana states that on Wednesday 29 June 2022, Guyana’s Ministry of Public Works signed a contract with Indian Public Sector Enterprise firm – Rail India Technical and Economic Service Limited (RITES) Ltd for USD 3.2 million – to supervise the construction of the Ogle to Eccles four lane road link – from the intersection of the Rupert Craig Highway and the Ogle airstrip road to Haags Bosch, Eccles, on the East Bank of Demerara (EBD).
The release says construction of the road will be done by India-based Ashoka Construction Company which has won the US$106.4 million contract, signed on 24 June.
This is the first time that two Indian companies – one each from Indian Private sector and Public sector have — secured these contracts in a transparent competitive bidding process.
The release says that the project includes a US$50 million concessional Line of Credit commitment from the Indian Exim Bank under Indian Development Partnership Assistance.
The release states:
“RITES will essentially overlook the construction of the road to ensure it is done to stipulations. The construction on the 7.8 KM road is expected to start almost immediately and will last for some 24 months. RITES is awarded a contract for 34 months, which includes the period for defects liability, following the road construction.
High commissioner of India Dr. KJ Srinivasa said that with his first-hand knowledge of the company’s history, he is confident of its ability to deliver professional supervision of the road project.
M/s RITES is a Government of India Enterprise established in 1974, under Indian Railways. It is a multi-disciplinary consultancy organization in the fields of transport, infrastructure and related technologies, being internationally recognized as a leading consultant with operational experience of over 55 countries in Africa, Asia, Middle East regions and South America. RITES’ Highway Division was created in the year 1985 to deal exclusively with projects in the highway sector. The division has handled projects of various natures in India and several overseas countries, which include Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Botswana, Bhutan, Cameroon, Ethiopia, Ghana, Guyana, Malaysia, Mozambique, Myanmar, Nepal, Tanzania, Uganda, United Arab Emirate and Zambia.
RITES’ expertise spans all facets of highway and bridge engineering from low-cost village roads, feeder roads to trunk roads, expressways, bridges/viaducts, and tunnels, across the toughest terrain in contrasting climatic conditions. The spectrum of consultancy encompasses feasibility studies, detailed design and project preparation, construction supervision, road safety audits during development, construction and O&M stages. RITES was also the design consultant for the current East Bank-East Coast Road project.”