By Spokesman Newsroom
BASSETERRE, St. Kitts-(Thursday 14th March 2024)- Chief Executive Officer of East Coast Housing Development (ECHD)Ltd. Bryan Singh, a civil engineer, has addressed critics while also shining a spotlight on local workers who have mastered the construction technology in building the first two climatesmart homes on island.
“I want to say that we had a lot of challenges in trying to train the locals in technology which we have mastered now. Like in everything new, you have teaching problems.” He made the disclosure while giving remarks on Thursday 14th March 2024 during the handing over ceremony in Conaree for the Government’s unveiling the fully completed and furnished climatesmart model homes constructed by East Coast Housing Development Ltd. ( of Trinidad and Tobago) in partnership with the National Housing Corporation (NHC).
According to him: “This wasn’t an easy task. We have come a long way. The technology is new to the Caribbean but not new to China and Asia, and those parts of the world.” – LOCAL NEWS – 3 In addressing the critics, Singh expressed: “You all would know we had a lot of naysayers of what it wasn’t.
Of what it should be or couldn’t be.” “I say to all those doubting who spoke out against this project, here we are today. Our actions have drowned out your words and a word of advice: ‘Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak and to remove all doubts’,” he stated.
Additionally, he praised the quality of construction work saying: “If we was taking it [criticisms], we wouldn’t have reached here today. I am proud to say today, this is East Coast. This is what we are made of. This is the quality we are made of.
This is what we stand for. And this is what we’re going to deliver. Not today alone [but] for the 2,400 houses.” By way of sharing a story, he recalled that a lady visited the house two days before for the open house in stating that she was “here to see the paper wall” as he noted also that the woman “realized that the propaganda that was sold to her is not so.” In making an observation about social media Facebook users, he indicated “People who have been saying the negative things and now saying the positive things.” The civil engineer touched on the construction details of the climate-smart home. “…based on the fact that some people wanted to know, what about the leaks?
We want to explain that basically the walls are loaded with the two panels. The two panels put together and steel inside. You had concrete and it went up.” He continued: “So someone said, when it go up and you have to put your roof across?
We said, no, the roof is not going across like the wall. The wall is loaded with the concrete and it comes over the roof. And it comes down the other side. There’s continuity so there’s no joining of the roof. We know that we stand by what we give.
We have seen that. We give a 10-year structural warranty in our contract.” Singh thanked the board of directors of East Coast for their overwhelming support. He also expressed gratitude to Prime Minister Dr. Terrance Drew and his cabinet and everyone present for giving the opportunity.
“So as we forge forward… at the end of April, we start in full construction. I have a roll-out plan that will be given to the chairman which he will be public knowledge after the fact and no one will be left homeless within the next four years.” That day, a home was presented to Sharamah Huggins in Conaree and another to Belinda Buchanan in Taylor’s.
Front Page Photo: Chief Executive Officer of East Coast Housing Development (ECHD)Ltd. Bryan Singh while giving remarks on Thursday 14th March 2024 during the handing over ceremony in Conaree for the Government’s unveiling the fully completed and furnished climate-smart model homes constructed by ECHD Ltd in partnership with the National Housing Corporation (NHC) ‘ (Spokesman ScreeshotYoutube. com/NHCSt.
