THE Mayor & Councillors of the City of Georgetown (M&CC) are working assiduously to restore Georgetown to its former glory one month after the formal launch of the ‘Green City’ initiative; and with assistance from businesses and volunteers, the city continues to be rid of eyesores.

Over the past weeks, a plethora of persons armed with tools were tearing down unwanted infrastructure and ridding drains and streets of garbage. These activities form part of the M&CC’s plan to transform the city into an eco-friendly one.

The ‘Green City’ initiative is an M&CC undertaking launched with volunteer labour from interested persons in a bid to make Georgetown a “green place”. This initiative receives kind funding from businesses and other corporate sponsors who have a vested interest in seeing the project to fruition.

“We are restoring the ‘Garden City’ of our beautiful land. I came forward to help in restoring the city to what it was before. We trimmed trees, and now we are working on cleaning the parapets of all the main streets in Georgetown every day,” said one volunteer, who identified himself as ‘Kimbia’.

Volunteers like Kimbia will receive certificates of appreciation from the M&CC for their diligence in helping the council restore the city — and the country itself — to its former glory. Two days ago, the M&CC demolished a derelict building in Kingston, Georgetown, and in the coming weeks, will demolish four other derelict structures that are situated in Albouystown, Cummingsburg and Kitty. These buildings have been abandoned for years, and have become havens for criminal elements and trespassers.

The demolished structure in Kingston had, over the past year, been on the verge of collapse, and had even forced neighbours to relocate. A neighbour who identified himself as ‘Andy’ said the state of the building had forced him and his family to relocate.

“We have been out of our home for two weeks now, because the building has been collapsing for a while, and now it’s worse,” Andy pointed out.

The demolition of derelict buildings also forms part of the M&CC’s plans in transforming the city to a green and eco-friendly one. The M&CC has already demolished the ramshackle Bedford school building which once nestled in the heart of the Bourda Market area, where it became a haven for criminal elements and a threat to the lives of vendors.

Town Clerk Royston King has said that the Merriman Mall will soon be covered with grass, as the council seeks to create a healthy and green environment for citizens. He said plans are in place to refurbish and build play parks in the city.

“Right now, we are unfreezing the city’s environment by opening up green spaces. For instance, we are looking into building new parks for children, once the city has been restored to its former glory,” King revealed.

The M&CC is moving apace to ensure that the city borders perfection, and is working assiduously to enforce its “zero tolerance” approach to any compromise of the drainage system, or littering or any illicit activities taking place in Georgetown.

By Shivanie Sugrim