Aug 14, 2026 Features / Columnists, Peeping Tom

(Kaieteur News) – It is commendable that the Central Housing and Planning Authority (CH&PA) has taken the time to respond to the concerns being raised about the proposed Versailles-to-Parika four-lane highway and, in particular, the allegation that the project is grossly overpriced when compared with the Eccles-to-Great Diamond road. Too often, governments spend billions of taxpayers’ dollars and then behave as though asking questions about the money is an act of treason.

The CH&PA in its response exposes a serious weakness in the comparison being made by Opposition Leader Azruddin Mohamed. The $13.3 billion for Eccles-to-Great Diamond is the actual contract price of a completed project, while the roughly $108 billion, or $121 billion depending on which figure one is using, for Versailles-to-Parika is an estimate for a project that has not yet been awarded.