–Jagdeo says, outlines government’s plans to roll out beautification projects, opportunities new Qatari hotel will create

THE Government of Guyana has been pursuing several beautification projects to revitalise and maintain ‘green’ spaces across the country’s capital city, Georgetown.
This is according to People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) General Secretary Bharrat Jagdeo during his weekly news conference.

He told reporters that the government had met with several citizens recently, and during that meeting some 34 playgrounds across the city were highlighted for rehabilitation works to promote “green” and leisure spaces in communities.

“We got our engineers to go and identify all the grounds in the city; every single ground from Agricola all the way to Cummings Lodge …We said we are going to raise the grounds; we said we are going to fence the grounds if they are in a state of disrepair.

Some of them already have fence; we are going to put in lighting in these grounds,” the General Secretary said.
He noted that buildings will be constructed as well to provide public facilities and walkways around the playgrounds.
“Recreational facilities in the city has been a priority; the city will be greener and cleaner,” Jagdeo said.

Simultaneously, the government, he said, is pursuing development projects that will complement the city’s economic growth.
Responding directly to comments made by members of the opposition and the local city council about the government’s recent decision to pursue the construction of a new hotel, Jagdeo said: “We need the buildings, too, because in each of these buildings it seems as though we have to fight for every development project.”

Last weekend, the brick was laid for the Georgetown Seafront Resort and Convention Centre at Carifesta Avenue.
The new hotel is set to be country’s largest tourism and hospitality investment, but the project has come under heavy scrutiny.

Some officials from the Georgetown Mayor and City Council claim that the lands that were awarded to a private Qatari group to construct the hotel is owned by the city.
However, the Guyana Lands and Surveys Commission (GLSC) has since clarified that those lands belong to the State.

“Records in the Guyana Lands and Surveys Commission indicate that Lots 1 and 2 of Plantation Thomas were held under Transport Number 30 of 1863 by the Colony of British Guiana. Colony Lands are lands held before independence by the Colony of British Guiana.,” GLSC said in a statement that was published in this newspaper.

According to GLSC, these lands have since been referred to as Government Lands after 1966. The GLSC issued leases on Colony Lands (CLL category), and continues to issue leases on Government Lands now GLL category. The unique feature is that these lands are held under Transports as against State Lands, which are not.

“The same questions that we had to face when pressed about the Marriott Hotel, it used to be a dump site; people used to build boats there. Everyone used to take stuff to dump,” Dr. Jagdeo said, while reiterating that the new development will not dissipate ‘green’ spaces across the city.