Jubilee House To Cost $50m More

The Government will need an additional 50 million dollars to complete the Golden Jubilee House project. Out of the amount, 15 million dollar will be used on landscaping and the rest on provision of residential accommodation for security personnel. Deputy information Minister, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, made this known after conducting reporters round the new presidential palace complex yesterday.The inspection was intended to allay public anxiety about the use of the multi-million dollar facility in the wake of media speculations that Government plans to turn it into a poultry farm or clinic. Mr Ablakwa accompanied by the other Deputy Minister, James Agyenim Boateng, and the contractors of the project said the government cannot for reason of political vendetta, abandon a project that has already cost the tax payer 82 million dollars. �The Government still owes the contractor 6.5 million dollars in arrears which has been outstanding since October last year�, headed. He said although government was committed to using the facility, it will not rush into doing so without the appropriate security measures being put in place.Mr. Ablakwa who described the lack of security facilities as an embarrassment said the Government would negotiate with the management of the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation to relocate some of it�s facilities adjoining the Jubilee House. He stated that even though the project was handed over some months ago more work remained to be done in the areas of CCTV Cameras, clearing of the forest behind the presidential palace and the Central business centre. The General Manager of Sharporji Polionji, the India contractors of the project, Santosh K. Singh, however insisted that the Jubilee House project is 100 percent complete. He said the minor works left which include the landscaping would take about 45 days to complete. Mr. Singh denied speculations that the offices get flooded when it rains saying �the design of the building� makes room for enough water outlets and as such cannot get flooded. Commenting on the security arrangement at the palace, former Chief of Staff, Kwadwo Mpiani, admitted that the security accommodation was not originally part of the project. He told the Times newspaper that when the need for it was realized later, the government negotiated with the Indian Government for the contractor to build one around the GBC Club house.The Jubilee House project was started by the previous government in June 2006 and was completed within 30 months but has since not been put to use.