– says Mandela dumpsite is an environmental risk
THE sheer magnitude of the undertaking of Commissioner Keith Burrowes to investigate and report on the defining parameters under which the M&CC functions, and whether the Council has met its mandate, can be gauged by the three voluminous compilations of detailed analyses and recommendations – Volume Two, which identified and established the key benchmarks under which the investigations were conducted, Volume Three, which is currently being bound, and Volume One, which contains the bulk of the recommendations.

On a site visit to the Mandela Avenue dumpsite, the cemetery, and the abandoned City Council mortuary yesterday, Commissioner Burrowes tried to estimate the length of time that the dumpsite can remain functional, which he hopes is possible until the HAAGS Bosch landfill becomes operational.

During yesterday’s follow-up visit by the Commissioner – who has already dealt extensively on the issues surrounding the cemetery, the abandoned City Council mortuary and the Mandela dumpsite in his completed report which is currently being printed and slated to be presented to the public next week – bulldozers were seen heaping up the garbage to an additional ten feet so as to clear extra space.

Mr. Clifton Douglas, whom the Deputy Town Clerk, Ms. Pluck, described as “one of the Council’s longest-serving employees,” and who is in charge of the operations to restructure the dump so as to accommodate garbage for an extended period, opined that the life of the landfill, based on the currently efficient compaction of garbage by contractors, could easily be extended by more than two years.

Mr. Douglas said that, because of the shoddy work of former contractors, the landfill took up much more space than it needed because of formerly inefficient compaction by the contractors.

Mr. Burrowes then requested copies of the contracts, which Ms. Pluck promised to provide. However, he observed that although he recognised the necessity to keep the Mandela dumpsite operational until the Haags Bosch landfill was completed, the Mandela site presented an environmental risk.

He noted that several hundred yards of the road had been eliminated in order to make an extension for the dump.

Turning his attention to the cemetery, Commissioner Burrowes reflected on the fact that the volume of vegetation in the cemetery, which provides a haven for thieves, while preventing bereaved relatives from tending the last resting place of their loved ones, has grown to such proportions after years-long neglect that there is need for intercession at governmental levels, because the problem has outgrown the scope of the Council’s ability to resolve.

There was a guard at the mortuary, yet thieves had carted away most of the materials, leaving a roofless shell of a building, which the Deputy Town Clerk said was beyond the probability of restoration, as was the incinerator.

The Municipal Pound, however, was operational and several impounded animals were seen peacefully grazing on the grass-covered grounds.

Without releasing much information as contained in the Report, Commissioner Burrowes commented that all the hard work and effort would be wasted if there are no major changes in how the council currently operates.

Commenting on President Jagdeo’s open statement on his intention to hold Local Government Elections by November, even if he has to resort to the National Assembly to create the enabling factors to make this happen, Mr. Burrowes stressed the fact that the current governance structures, because of complacency over the years, does not predispose to enabling the process of enhanced management and accountability synergies.

He said that, in the unlikely event that Local Government Elections are once more postponed, it would be necessary and inevitable for an interim arrangement to be put in place so that the recommendations could be efficiently effected and implemented.

Commissioner Burrowes noted that, although this investigation was primarily confined to Georgetown, all the municipalities across the country have the same problems, although Region Six seems to have a more efficient system over recent months.

The Commissioner said that, if the recommendations are efficiently implemented in a timely way then Georgetown and its environs would once more be restored to its pristine and beautiful environment of yesteryear.

The Commissioner said that this eventuality would be reward for the difficult and time-consuming process of investigating and compiling this Report.

The Report is slated to be presented by Local Government Minister Kellawan Lall – who has already been fully briefed on the findings and recommendations – at a news conference next week.