Public infrastructure: Berenger target contracts awarded to Colas

In the end, how the French company Colas she touched, after adjustments of rigor, for the many contracts that the state has allocated? This is the question that torments these days the head of the opposition, Paul Berenger. 

Speaking at his press conference on Saturday, August 20, in Ebony, he indicated that the subject had to be a Private Notice Question (PNQ) from him. And it is 13 months since the Mauritian Militant Movement (MMM) chomping at the bit waiting for clarification promised by the Minister of Public Infrastructure, Anil Bachoo. But lack of bowl, the National Assembly was adjourned by the Prime Minister. 

"What did he have to hide?" Indignant leader purple. While recalling the word given by the No. 4 of the Government that it was compiling these details and table them in Parliament. That was in July 2010. To date, Paul Berenger gets carried away, nothing like has been done. 

What bothers the opposition leader, is the lack of transparency around the total amount of contracts awarded for public works in the firm. He pointed out that according to the explanations of Anil Bachoo, Colas has won these contracts because it had submitted the lowest bids. But in the end, says Paul Berenger, and because of "variations", the company has pocketed far more than it had submitted. 

For this firm the French group Bouygues, Mauritius is a windfall, the Government House that in June 2009, decided to release Rs 27.4 billion for infrastructure projects. Based in Mauritius since 1980, it carries through three subsidiaries: Maurice Colas, Transinvest Bitumen and Bulk Container (BBC). Road works 70% of its business while the rest is distributed in the building, civil engineering and sale of bitumen in bulk. 

Among major projects in which it is involved include the bypass of Port Louis - the famous "ring road" - and the road from Terre Rouge to Verdun. Colas is also responsible for the enlargement of the northern motorway between Forbach and Pamplemousses of seven kilometers. Just as the construction of 3.5 kilometers of road between Phoenix and Beaux-Songes. Besides the new airport runway and maintenance contracts of the road network. 

In August 2010, the magazine Eco-Austral indicated that the activity of the firm on the island has tripled from 2008 to 2010 to reach 60 million euros or Rs 2.4 billion. The latest news, Colas has offered 50% of Gamma Materials, the company of the family Ah-Teck specializes in building materials, to the tune of $ 47.5 million or a whopping Rs 1.3 billion.