THE Georgetown City Council recently approved a recommendation by its Investment and Development Committee to have a crematorium developed in a section of the Le Repentir Cemetery.

The approval followed discussion on the matter, subsequent to which the full council endorsed it at a statutory meeting earlier this month.
A Guyanese medical doctor, whose name was not stated, has expressed an interest in developing the facility.
Le Repentir is Guyana’s largest burial ground and was prioritised for restoration, as it has become overrun with vegetation, creating an eyesore.
The Public Works Ministry had undertaken massive works to restore the cemetery last year, but City Hall has, since, done nothing to maintain conditions there.
Because of the unsightly state of the graveyard, government had intervened by providing $15M for spraying overgrowth and cleaning the drainage. The intention of the Works Ministry was to have the place handed back to the municipality once the rehabilitation was completed.
For last year alone, the Works Ministry reportedly spent $700M on undertakings across the city, which included repairs to City Hall.

RELIABLE PARTNER
Public Works Minister Robeson Benn had said that government has proved itself to be a reliable partner in terms of development of the capital and all other urban areas.
A restoration committee, led by Benn and comprising stakeholders from the Private Sector and City Hall, had engaged in the developmental works.
Meanwhile, Minister of Local Government and Regional Development, Ganga Persaud had, at the time, told the Guyana Chronicle that government has had to use its own resources to bail out the municipality and correct the unsightly situation.
The fact that no maintenance work was being done on the cemetery shows the “uncaring nature” of the Council and that it does not intend to serve citizens, the Minister remarked.
He said: “Maybe they are hoping for it to return to a jungle-like state to have government bail them out again.”
Deputy Mayor Patricia Chase-Green had said the municipality provides a service based on the revenues collected and it collects a one-off payment for burial, which is no more than $7,000 for a spot.
Some people undertake to clean the spots where their loved ones have been buried but the general maintenance is left to City Hall and no one pays a maintenance fee to the municipality, she observed.
Chairman of the Markets and Public Health Committee, Ranwell Jordan had emphasised the importance of restorative works in the cemetery.
“It’s important because we have to cater for the dead. The municipality should cater for activities from the womb to the tomb,” he declared.