-Jageo says

CENTRAL government has undertaken the Georgetown Mayor and City Council’s key responsibilities of beautifying green spaces and maintaining the city’s infrastructure, People’s Progressive Party General Secretary, Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo, has said.

Dr. Jagdeo’s comments came following Wednesday’s collapse of a portion of the roof covering the Stabroek Market wharf.

During his weekly news conference on Thursday, Dr. Jagdeo told reporters that the mishap was a result of the “failure of the city council” and in fact, central government has been undertaking several responsibilities of the council.

“Every single thing that should be done in the city by law are part of their [city council] mandate…the central government has to take over,” the General Secretary said.

According to Dr. Jagdeo, central government has undertaken a “key responsibility of the city” to rehabilitate roads and maintain green spaces, which he said will cost billions.

Aside from this, the government has been conducting citywide outreaches, visiting several communities in the capital city.

“We’re spending hundreds of millions of dollars on all the recreational facilities in the city, 34 of them being done… with lights, etc. We have undertaken all the beautification of the city, the sidewalks, the boardwalks, and everything else. It’s being done by the government.”

Dr. Jagdeo noted that the government has committed to improving the city’s infrastructure that has been left in neglect by the A Partnership for National Unity (APNU)/Peoples National Congress-led Mayor and City Council.

“We’ve spent $15 million to take the dump site out of the city, where we are now doing the drainage. In the city, we are clearing drains. We are putting additional pumping capacity in the city. What does the city do? If we’re doing drainage, grounds, beautification, etc., they’re literally doing very little,” he lamented.

Following Wednesday’s incident, President Dr, Irfaan Ali had criticised the Mayor and City Council’s leadership, citing its inability to manage such a critical infrastructure, which was left derelict for years.

“The Mayor needs to work closer with the councillors in a collective way, because, from a leadership perspective, there is no capacity to manage some of these key infrastructure and investment in the city.”

“This is the problem with some of the infrastructure in the city that are not being maintained and are left in a state that is dangerous to the citizens. And we have to decide how we are going to address those issues,” he added.

The collapse, which occurred amid concerns about the structural integrity of the outdated maritime terminal, triggered immediate action to reduce hazards and restore key services that were affected by the accident.

Skilled labourers, equipment operators, and emergency-response teams were mobilised to the site, to remove wreckage and clear pathways.