Le Repentir mortuary privatisation delayed

Oct 21, 2008 News

– tender process reopened

The Mayor and City Council has reopened the tendering process for the upgrading of the mortuary at Le Repentir cemetery. This is according to Deputy Mayor Robert Williams.

During an interview, Williams said that the councillors agreed to reopen the tendering process with the hope of seeking other interested persons.

Initially, the bid for the contract was closed with a successful bid, and the parties were already in negotiation when the decision was taken to reopen the process, since both parties are of the opinion that others may be interested and they would want to give them a fair chance.

The aim of the tender process is to have the Le Repentir mortuary privatized. Meanwhile, the process will see the completion of the mortuary’s holding area, the chapel, infrastructure leading to the mortuary, and lighting.

People working at the location have been forced to work under inhuman conditions. From time to time, decomposed bodies are taken to the location and left for days in wooden boxes.

In an earlier interview, Deputy Mayor Robert Williams had said that the situation would have soon been rectified. Williams said the entire process of getting the Le Repentir storage facility up and running was stalled after the compressor for the refrigerator was stolen some one and a half years ago.

According to Williams, the actual building which was supposed to house the facility was completed two years ago. Only the electrical fittings were left to be installed.

Meanwhile, as it relates to the rest of the cemetery, which is in a deplorable state, Williams said that it is likely to be fixed sometime in the near future. Currently, he said, they are in talks with the Tourism and Hospitality Association on that issue.

Williams added that talks are also ongoing with an international organisation.

He acknowledged that the Council has the responsibility to maintain the cemetery, but recently not much work was done by way of clearing of the overgrown bushes.

He added that, at some time in the near future, the Council will be looking at deploying workers to clean the cemetery, or put out a contract for the work.