The infights between the local construction companies and the Ministry of Infrastructure over the Hungas’ Tsunami building project took a new twist.
The Ministry has announced that it had awarded the building contracts to Chinese labourers currently in Tonga after a series of failed negotiations with Tongan contractors.
As Kaniva News reported recently, the local contractors were unhappy after the Minister for Infrastructure Hon Seventeen Toumo’ua fixed the contracts for each new house at what was claimed to be an undervalued price.
The contractors eventually submitted a petition to the Parliament before a Parliamentary committee was selected to work on it.
Hon Toumo’ua had been accused of lack of cooperation with the Parliamentary committee.
We contacted the Minister at the time for comment.
In the latest development, the Ministry said yesterday it made the decision after repeated failures by local contractors to deliver on the project.
According to the Ministry, local contractors were given an initial opportunity but could not meet expectations.
“The first group of contractors had their contracts cancelled, and new contractors were hired. However, that also did not work,” the ministry said in a statement.
It said the decision to hire Chinese labourers had been seen as the most practical solution to ensure the project’s completion.
It said that the Chinese labourers were in the process of completing some of the new houses.
