-following roll out of citywide cleanup campaign

THE Ministry of Local Government and Regional Development has recently launched a citywide cleanup campaign that is aimed at supporting the national beautification drive.

It is being led by the subject Minister, Priya Manickchand, and Minister within the Ministry Pauline Sukhai, Director General Anand Persaud, Deputy Permanent Secretary (Administration) Dr. Josh Kanhai, and other senior ministry officials.

According to reports, the first activity of this campaign was led by Minister Manickchand who visited the Stabroek Market area after 18:00hrs, to engage with vendors and gain insights into the challenges of maintaining a clean environment in that space.

It was said that the vendors, although they welcomed the initiative and noted their willingness to keep the area clean, highlighted the lack of adequate garbage disposal, stressing that with more resources and better infrastructure, littering in and around the Stabroek Market could be reduced significantly.

The Stabroek Market is not only a commercial hub, it also doubles as the country’s main public transport area, taking persons from the city to other parts of Georgetown and Guyana.

Speaking about this outstanding initiative being undertaken by the ministry, the Director General said this is something they would want to sustain and also look at a way to have works done on a regular basis to maintain cleanliness in these parts.

Meanwhile, Dr. Kanhai underscored that this was no easy task. Urging youths to observe environmental cleanliness, Dr. Kanhai said garbage is something that is supposed to be thrown into garbage receptacles.

“As a young man, I try to do that as much as possible. And I try to encourage a lot of other people to do that, especially young people, because that’s the culture we have to build,” he said.

The Deputy PS-Administration asserted, “It’s simple. If you have garbage in your hand, look for a garbage bin.”

Dr. Kanhai stated that Guyana is our home and should be kept clean. Noting that cleanliness begins at home, he challenged persons to keep their garbage with them until they can get to a bin, minimising chances of littering, and environmental mishaps.