LOCAL Government Minster, Ganga Persaud has said that government may have to accelerate its surge in finding solutions to rectify the institutionalised mismanagement of the City if the Mayor and City Council (M&CC) of Georgetown shows continuous complacency. However, he said that no decision has been made towards the establishment of an Interim Management Committee (IMC), but he warned that central government will always give thought and consideration to solutions to improve any system if it is not functioning in any manner it ought to and this includes the municipality of Georgetown.
The minister made this comment while addressing a press briefing on Tuesday at the boardroom of the Local Government Ministry in Kingston.
The minster noted that based on the status of the situation so far, no such process to implement an IMC has been decided upon, however it maybe an option to the satisfaction of the citizens.
“I don’t know whether it will come in, there is no process which would have started based on the status of the situation to establish an IMC in the municipality of Georgetown but we have active consideration with regards to the issue of how better and how we can get the city to manage it affairs better and to the satisfaction of the citizens of the city and in that consideration yet IMC is one of the options that is being discussed,” Minster Ganga Persaud stated.
The minster noted that while it may seem as though actions aren’t being taken at an accelerated pace, everything must be followed by certain procedures.
According to him, no decision has been ruled out as yet, however, the authorities are looking at all the possible solutions in this regard.
“Before one can move in to the direction of an IMC there are certain procedures which must be followed and the first is to see all the options available ….that includes establishing an IMC we are at that stage of discussion and we are deliberating on all the options,” he emphasised.
The minster said if the Mayor and City Council of Georgetown continue to mismanage its affairs as it is doing now, necessary steps will be taken in this direction.
He said that the current state of the city has been creating serious health problems and health issues not only to citizens of Georgetown but the citizens who have reason to be in the boundaries of  Region Four (Demerara/Mahaica).
Persaud clarified that implementation of IMCs are not permanent solutions in nature but rather stop gap measures pending the holding of local government elections.
“Councils are replaced for a number for reason there are some councils which have suffered depletion to the state that they do not have a quorum,” he pointed out.
He stated that an IMC seeks to replenish councils at a stage where there is no quorum, in other instances where councils have performed unsatisfactory in the judgment of the citizen, then they are disengaged and replaced by means of an IMC.
The citizens would petition to the minster for the conduct of an inquiry and based on its outcome decisions are taken whether to establish IMCs or not, Persaud explained
Turning his attention to the situation in Region 10 (Upper Demerara/Upper Berbice), Kwakwani Neighbourhood Democratic Council, he said within the last 18 months only two councilors had been attending the council meetings and one of the staff was being paid by means of the collection of market fees.
“So that is an explanation of the first set of dissolutions by lack of quorum, the second set which was just shared with you speaks about residents expressing dissatisfaction with the council…some recent examples of those  are the Bartica Neighbourhood Democratic Council, the Herstelling Neighbourhood Democratic Council and the Industry/Plaisance Neighbourhood Democratic Council,” he disclosed.
The minster said that the residents would turn up at the inquiry and give the evidence based on their dissatisfaction which may lead to the disengagement of the council and to set up an IMC.