Shortage of city engineers puts hold on major works

MAYOR of Georgetown, Ubraj Narine has disclosed that the lack of city engineers, occasioned by the Local Government Commission’s decision to disapprove persons identified to fill the post, has resulted in several major developmental works in the city being put on hold.

Mayor Narine has since informed that the Mayor and City Council (M&CC) has not ruled out taking the matter to court.

During an interview with the Guyana Chronicle, Mayor Narine said the current situation has tremendously impacted the operations of the M&CC.

“We actually abide by the laws of the Local Government Commission body, which outline to us what to do; and we have correspondence to reflect those outlines,” he said, adding: “We follow all procedures; we also had expertise like Christopher Ram come in. We are actually appalled that the Local Government Commission had done something like this to the M&CC.”
Mayor Narine also disclosed to this publication that although there are works to be completed in the city, the Port Mourant Neighbourhood Democratic Council (NDC) is currently facing numerous issues that the Local Government Commission is putting on the back burner of their priorities.

“While the Port Mourant [NDC] is facing a number of issues that the Local Government Commission is not solving, there are works to be done in the city, because we have to serve the people of the constituencies. So, right now, we at the M&CC are just waiting to see what happens,” the mayor said.

When asked about the M&CC’s plans to tackle the issues it is having with the Local Government Commission, the mayor said in response that court action is being considered.

Furthermore, Mayor Narine stated that he has been visiting several of the main communities in Georgetown to ensure that drainage systems are being maintained. These maintenance works, he said, will help to alleviate the flooding caused by the recent heavy rainfall.

Under the previous administration, these maintenance works were undertaken in parts of the city by the National Drainage and Irrigation Authority (NDIA) in collaboration with M&CC.

The drainage works, which included manual cleaning operations, totaled $71,934,120, while the mechanical cleaning operations were pegged at $91,652,572. These works were expected to increase the city’s drainage capacity, and significantly reduce flooding throughout the city.

The Minister of Local Government and Regional Development, Nigel Dharamlall, on October 22, sent a letter to the Council, which, in part, indicated that more attention needs to be directed towards improving the aesthetics of the city and the maintenance of drainage systems.