By Telesha Ramnarine

GEORGETOWN Mayor Patricia Chase-Green and Deputy Mayor Sherod Duncan have clashed over the establishment of a National Capital Planning Commission for urban development.During his visit to the City Council recently, President David Granger had proposed that the Council look to establish the National Capital Planning Commission, which would see a structured approach being utilized for the development of Georgetown.

The Mayor yesterday called an extraordinary statutory meeting to discuss the issue with councillors, but the Deputy Mayor questioned the haste with which the Mayor was pursuing this matter, as opposed to how other “burning” issues are dealt with.

“Every time I have called a meeting to deal with matters of this Council, there is some negativity coming from some corners, with objections on how we should move forward,” the Mayor responded.

Chase-Green made it clear that she has the authority to call such an emergency meeting, having been in the City Council since 1994 and knowing of all the issues there. The Mayor asked that each councillor voice their opinion on what it would take to move the Commission forward, but the Deputy Mayor said he has chosen to reserve his comments until he has had enough time to think about it.

Numerous other councillors requested more time to think about the request and to do research on the matter.

HASTE
“I’m wondering why this urgency. Since April 1 of our election, my observation has been (that) we have done everything else than sit down, as a new Council, and formulate our own ideas in moving forward.

“When we came into the Council, we had the parking meter issue handed to us from a previous council. We’ve had the movement of the vendors handed to use by a group of individuals; this council was never consulted on it. Here, again, we are jumping on another issue that has occupied the front burner of the Council. I have no trouble looking at it; but it is the haste at which we are looking at it,” Duncan said.

He noted that no special meeting was called to discuss other burning issues. “Here, again, we are chewing off another huge issue; again, that will impede on a lot of Council work.”
Chase-Green argued, though, that the Council has limited time at its disposal. “Three years may look like a lot of time, but it’s not; so we have to move this process forward. We have a lot of issues to deal with.”

Town Clerk Royston King also noted that time is of the essence. “We’re moving at snail’s pace,” he said in response to Duncan’s comments that the Council is rushing to establish the Commission. King urged that the Terms of Reference (TORs) should first be determined by the Council, as those would provide answers to a number of issues raised by councillors.

“We might want to include the University of Guyana, Ministry of Health, Central Housing and Planning Authority, the Guyana Water Inc., the Guyana Fire Service, Ministry of Communities, Ministry of Infrastructure. All these must be part of the Commission; but whether we will have a one-man Commission and these persons are used as resource personnel, or whether we will have them be part of the actual commission is what this council must determine,” King offered.

King also noted that the Council would have to determine how much the Commission would be paid. “This Council will have to pay for the Commission. The Commission, though independent in its work, will be subordinate to this Council. The Commission will have no power of its own, but will have the power that is given to it by this Council,” the Town Clerk explained.

OTHER REPORTS
Meanwhile, several councillors asked that the administration provide them with copies of the Burrowes Report and Professor Aktar Khan’s Report, which contain essential information that may help to formulate the policies for the Commission.

In fact, Councillor Lionel Hanoman Jaikaran made a formal request for the reports, which he said would make the work of councillors easier. He commented that the one week period which the Mayor has given to councillors for submission of their ideas to the Town Clerk is not enough.
Jaikaran requested at least two weeks to consider the reports, but the Mayor said the reports are not needed for the formulation of the policies for the Commission.

Councillor Phillip Smith similarly spoke about the benefits of accessing the other reports done. He noted that he would be better informed if he had them. He noted that if he had insight into what was already studied, he would be in a much better position to make his proposals.

Councillor Bishram Kuppen agreed that councillors need time to review those reports, and he urged that they be made available to the councillors. “It’s about time that this City (be able to) consider this project. The bottom line is: ‘where is this money going to come from?’ But I’m sure we can work that out,” he commented.

At the end of the discussion, it was understood that councillors have one week to make their ideas about the Commission known to the Town Clerk; after which the Town Clerk has two weeks to formulate a draft proposal, circulate it to councillors, and then place it on the agenda for discussion at the following statutory meeting.