By Dillon Goring 
GEORGETOWN Mayor, Pandit Ubraj Narine, says he is taking a no-nonsense approach towards auto dealers who continue to use the city’s parapet indiscriminately.
The Mayor told the Guyana Chronicle on Tuesday via a telephone interview that persons who own auto dealerships in the City, should comply with the City’s by- laws and pay their share of taxes for the use of the parapet.

A meeting with auto dealers aimed at thrashing out issues with the council and which was scheduled for Thursday August 6, 2020 at 14:00 hours in the Council’s Chambers had to be called off as none of the auto dealers showed up.

According to the Mayor, he wanted to meet with the dealers and iron out issues regarding their use of the parapet to ply their trade.
In the past, the City Council has always had issues with persons who would not comply with the city’s by-laws, inclusive of the removal of derelict objects and other encumbering objects.
In 2016, the Georgetown Mayor and City Council had embarked on a campaign directed at reclaiming the city’s parapets which have been misused by both businesses and private citizens. The council had issued a statement expressing its dissatisfaction with the way city spaces have been exploited.

The council had observed that some businesses use parapets and other public thoroughfares for their own personal financial gains.
The council had noted that the actions of businesses have caused discomfort to residents and motorists.

The entrances of residences have been continuously blocked, while there are those who cannot use the parapet in front of their homes because they have been permanently occupied.
This occupation, according to the M&CC, is the conversion of parapets and reserves into parking lots for customers and employees. In other instances, parapets have been paved and treated as extensions of private property.

The council disclosed that these practices are prevalent in communities such as Kingston, Campbellsville and Kitty. The council has issued letters to several businesses urging them to refrain from this illegitimate use of city spaces and many have not complied.

The municipality recently acquired a tow truck which it intends to use during its campaign.
Former Town Clerk, Royston King, had informed the media that derelict and unauthorised vehicles will be towed away to the council’s Princes Street location.
Owners who wish to retrieve their vehicles will be forced to pay a fine. In the event that the owners do not claim their property, the vehicles will be auctioned to the highest bidder. He noted that the Laws of Guyana permit such action and it is under that premise that the council will operate.