…while “unproductive sugar industry” to receive $200M
…says lack of funding aiding spread of COVID-19, pile-up of garbage
Georgetown Mayor, Ubraj Narine has requested “immediate financial assistance” from Central Government due to the Municipality’s non-receipt of budgetary subventions pegged at 10 million dollars for 2020 and 30 million dollars for 2021.
In a statement on Monday, the Mayor said that while $200 million was recently pledged by the Government to an “unproductive sugar industry”, the Georgetown Municipality is “suffering under the management of the Government of Guyana”.
Urbraj said that heads of organizations, the diaspora, citizens across Georgetown and those who visit the capital all complain about the state of the city, especially where the collection of garbage and the rise of COVID-19 is concerned.
Coupled with this, he said, is the need for city markets to be deep cleaned, sanitized and fumigated to reduce the spread of COVID-19, even as the United States has issued a warning to its citizens against travel to Guyana.
“The Government of Guyana has not set aside any special funding to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in the Municipal districts of Guyana and is slow on their disbursement of subventions to the municipality,” Narine said.
“The subvention from the Government of Guyana to the Georgetown Municipality is used to purchase equipment that bolsters the uptake of Garbage thereby maintaining the environment. Government subventions to the municipality aids in providing a clean and healthy environment for the citizens of Georgetown. To stifle the Municipality from receiving these two subventions should be cause for concern to organizations, Guyanese, and international citizens who operate in and around the city of Georgetown.”
Since the APNU/AFC government was in office, the Mayor said that the Municipality has not purchased any new equipment nor has it received any new equipment for the movement of garbage.
This, he explained, runs contrary to the Municipality’s aim to contribute to the 2030 Millennium Development Goals and the 17 Sustainable Development Goals that Guyana signed to improve health, the environment, water and sanitation and maintenance of solid waste, among others.
Narine stated: “I am appealing to the Government of Guyana to facilitate the payment of the two subventions, for the release of municipal funds and, as such, I wish to inform all businesses, residents, and the international community, that all markets need to be closed to facilitate full sanitization of the stalls and drains around the markets. The funds will also assist the purchasing of equipment needed to help with the removal of solid waste from market facilities across the city and its environs.
