PURAN Brothers Disposal Inc. has threatened to take legal action against the Georgetown Mayor and City Council (M&CC) for failing to make the necessary outstanding payments owed to them for some time now. This was disclosed by Mayor Hamilton Green during a press conference on Friday last in his office at City Hall.

According to Mayor Green, the contractors ought to and must be paid for their work done in the city.

Green said that this matter originated two weeks ago when the contractors threatened to withdraw their services, which in turn involved leaving Groups 7 (Festival City area) and 8 (Alberttown, Queenstown) without any garbage disposal services.

He acknowledged that after the threats were made the Minister of Local Government and Regional Development, Norman Whittaker intervened and promised the contractors that they will be played.

“Following that threat, Sooba stated that we (the M&CC) refused to sign the agreement to make the necessary payments, but at no time did the Acting Town Clerk, Carol Ryan Sooba seek the authority of the M&CC,” he said.

He stated that the letters signed by the law firm states that an arrangement was made between Puran Brothers and the M&CC.
“The M&CC were neither informed nor consulted about the purported agreement set up by Sooba to make the necessary payments,” Green said. Therefore, he said, the lawsuit should be directed to Sooba in a personal capacity.

MULTIPLE PROBLEMS
“Since the advent of Sooba, there have been multiple problems arising, some of which include trouble in the market areas, canals and the general sanitation situation,” he said.

Green stated that there is abundant evidence to prove and support his statement, some of which were even portrayed to members of the media on multiple occasions.

SOOBA’S TAKE
Ms Sooba, in her defence, recently disclosed that since there is currently no chairman for the Finance Committee, as stated by law, “it was required to have two finance councillors of the M&CC to endorse the cheques so that payments to the contractors could be made.”
She further stated that the decision by the finance councillors, particularly Gladstone George, not to sign the cheques was not only absurd, but also lacked logical explanation.
Moreover the councillors also refused to sign vouchers for other important services and expenditures which they have outstanding.
Citizens of the said areas will suffer tremendously in terms of garbage disposal unless the payments to the contractors are made.
Attempts to get in contact with Minister Whittaker for a response proved futile. (Navendra Seoraj)