THE Mayor and City Council (M&CC) is calling on citizens affected by a delay in garbage collection to exercise patience and keep their refuse on their premises for the time-being.
Mayor Ubraj Narine called an emergency press briefing on Tuesday to inform that garbage collection in Groups Two (Kitty/Subryanville) and Ten (central Georgetown and the commercial district) was interrupted as a result of the accident which occurred last Monday on the Demerara Harbour Bridge.

The trucks attached to Puran Brothers Disposal Services, located in Region Three, could not make it over to Georgetown, and the company had said it would send the trucks over via pontoons. However, Narine said the company experienced difficulties with that option as well.

The mayor said resorting to the use of smaller contractors would prove too costly to the Council, and he called on business owners to respect the environment and desist from dumping illegally.

“Garbage is not today story, but it has been reduced under this government. I’m begging the public to bear with us,” Narine said, adding that the situation was unexpected and one that the Council was not prepared for.

Town Clerk (Ag) Sherry Jerrick offered that some citizens, especially in the commercial areas, are not law abiding, responsible and civil in that they do not have garbage receptacles. If they did, she reasoned that one day of non-clearance would not result in what is taking place on the streets at the moment.

DUMPING IN KITTY

Mayor Narine took umbrage at People’s Progressive Party (PPP) Councillor Bishram Kuppen’s taking to ‘Facebook’ to post how the mayor and town clerk are out of touch with what is happening in the City.

Kuppen, a member of the Finance Committee, also posted photos depicting how garbage was piling up in the Kitty area.

The mayor explained that the pile up was due to machinery that went down and that needed tires to continue working. These tires, he pointed out, are not ones that can be sourced immediately. The municipality would have to make contact with the companies from which they came, which would take some time.

Narine said he works hard on the ‘ground’ and that he and Jerrick are always accessible. He questioned what Kuppen is doing for the Council. “We must work collectively and not bring politics into this. If you’re going out to ‘bambase’ the Council, then you’re ‘bambasing’ yourself because you’re part of the Council. Kuppen ought to know better,” the mayor said, adding that the councillor should instead bring his ideas and strategies to the Council.
The mayor also pointed out how in many instances, after cleaning certain areas, the officers go back there the next day and find them exactly the same again. “So why blame the Council and the government?” he questioned.

Meanwhile, Kuppen, in his post on social media, said the garbage in Kitty had been accumulating for days. “The stench was over-powering. But you can’t expect better from the APNU+AFC controlled City Hall. Every time they report that they have the situation under control, chaos returns the following week,” Kuppen stated.

He added: “This time the problem was again reported as the unavailability of tires to replace the punctured tires for the tractor. But I attended a Finance Committee meeting last Friday but nothing was mentioned about this. Mayor Ubraj Narine and Town Clerk (ag) Jerrick are out of touch with what is happening while citizens continue to suffer due to the continued incompetence and mismanagement of the Council.”

Head of Solid Waste Management Department Walter Narine, who was also at the press conference, offered that the garbage situation should be rectified within 24 hours. He said the municipality was using whatever resources it had to clean the City block by block.
In the meantime, he encouraged business owners to hold their garbage on their premises until it can be picked up. He noted that placing it on the streets would make for more mess as persons of unsound mind might interfere with it.

The solid waste director said it was unfortunate that Kuppen made such a post on social media, and noted that the councillor did not post photos of the area after it was cleaned. The area was cleaned immediately after the issue was highlighted, Narine informed.