THE Mayor and City Council (M&CC) on Tuesday shunned the recommendation of Solid Waste Management Director Walter Narine for one more small garbage contractor to be hired.

As a consequence, garbage build-up is expected in two key areas of the City, these being Group 10, which covers the commercial areas in Georgetown, and Group 8, which takes in Queenstown to Kingston.

Mayor Ubraj Narine said he did not see it necessary for another such contractor to be hired, but the solid waste director suggested this course of action, since the municipality’s garbage truck is down.

The issue was raised at the municipality’s fortnightly statutory meeting at City Hall.
Hiring another contractor would have meant that the City Council would have had to pay $360,000 a week for clearance in Group 8, and $420,000 a week to clear Group 10.

The Council’s truck, which requires a major part and engine works, covered the said two groups, and hence, with Narine’s recommendation shot down, it means that the current small contractors which are currently servicing other communities, will also have to find the time and resources to clear the communities in these two groups.

The City Council, however, approved for $45,000 to be spent daily, from today to Friday, to clear garbage being generated at the Stabroek Market area, and from other dumpsters around the City, such as those behind John Fernandes Limited.

The Stabroek Market generates 11 tonnes of garbage daily, according to Narine, and when the compactors are full, the excess garbage would be placed on the streets.

He explained that the City Council’s truck went down after having worked ‘around-the-clock’ since last November 26. It was not serviced in between, due to the fact that Groups 8 and 10 would have been affected, he offered.

Workshop Manager Joel Gentle told councillors that once the required part is obtained today, the truck should be back up and running by Friday, the earliest.

UNCLEAR
However, the solid waste director wanted to know why Gentle did not give a more lengthy time by which the truck would be fixed. Gentle kept insisting that he said Friday “the earliest”. It is not clear how the Stabroek Market waste will be cleared, along with that from the dumpsters, should the truck fail to be repaired by Friday.

Meanwhile, the City Council seems bent on moving ahead with the smaller contractors, as opposed to hiring back Cevons and Purans to work as per normal.

The contractors feel that the municipality is wasting their time, and is making no real effort to resolve the issues surrounding their contracts, which are valid until 2020.
The M&CC had recently asked the contractors to write to City Hall with proposals on the way forward, but did not bother to even acknowledge receipt of such letters, more so respond to such.

Representatives of both companies, Kalesh Puran and Morse Archer, recently told this publication that they are now inclined to consult with their lawyers regarding the pause in their contracts by the City Council, even though such remains valid until next year.

Puran said his company is alarmed at the operations of the City Council, especially as the company continues to make every effort to sit and talk with the municipality. He reminded that although the problems originated with the M&CC, his company has acceded to all of the municipality’s requests so far, as it relates to writing or meeting with it.

Archer said the City Council seems to be extending the contracts with the smaller contractors every month. “They’re just trying to waste our time. I don’t think they are serious about negotiating with us,” he expressed.

The companies are being handed this kind of treatment, even though they are still doing more than 50 per cent of City Hall’s work. Furthermore, they have not been paid for such work for the year so far.