– of stores on Regent & Water streets
STAFF members of stores on Regent and Water streets in Georgetown have been engaging in the practice of sweeping dust and other small wrappings, and other pieces of paper, into the street drains, the Mayor and City Council (M&CC) said in a press release yesterday. These individuals could be seen doing this “on any given morning”, and that is what is responsible for drains being blocked and water flow in them being impeded, the release added.
Others pay those persons who have veered off the normal side of society to dump their garbage anywhere away from their business places, the council said; and “that kind of unfriendly environmental action affects the health of the natural environment and local communities”.
The council is expressing concern over the unauthorized works being carried out on the city’s pavements by business owners, which include the arbitrary elevation of portions of the pavements in front of business places, erection of bridges and placing of barriers on the parapets.
Such actions, the council said, have resulted in an uneven and untidy arrangement, disrupting the aesthetics of certain parts of the city, and affecting the general business environment.
Furthermore, this state of affairs appears to be injurious to the health of those who are visually impaired, and those who are living with other disabilities.
“The council has been receiving steady reports from citizens who are using wheelchairs and other physical supports, such as canes and walkers, of the difficulties they continue to experience in their effort to conduct outdoor activities in the city.”
A number of businesses involved in this practice have said that they have raised the level of the pavements in front of their places to prevent flooding of their premises during heavy rains.
However, some of the very businesses are involved in improper disposal of their garbage, which eventually gets into the drains and canals, and facilitates overtopping of their premises.
“The Mayor and City Council is calling on all businesses and citizens to desist from illegal construction works and related activities. According to the law, anyone who wishes to carry out building works should obtain prior permission from the city engineer, in writing, to begin such works.
“Under the same law, the city engineer is authorized to dismantle all illegal construction works in the city of Georgetown.
The council is also calling on citizens to gently rebuke those who are bent on littering its streets and parapets, and keeping Georgetown untidy,” the release said.