Latest update April 7th, 2025 6:08 AM
City Hall pays contractors for two months
Garbage collection in the city yesterday returned to normalcy as the Georgetown municipality was able to pay $45M of the debt it owes to garbage disposal contractors, Cevons Waste Management Incorporated, Puran Brothers Waste Disposal Service and Crawler and Wheeler Inc.
Garbage collection resumes in the city
According to Public Relations Officer, Royston King, through Government’s payment of $41M last Saturday, the municipality simply had to add $4M to make available two months’ payment to the three contractors.
He revealed that the two months payment to Cevon’s and Puran’s each amounted to $14M while a sum of $17M was paid to Crawler and Wheeler. The municipality is still indebted to at least two of the companies for a period that extends for more than one month.
Ýesterday, workers attached to the Puran Brothers Waste Disposal Service, who along with those from Cevon’s had halted their operation, were seen clearing sections of the city, revealing to this newspaper that “we are back on the job again.”
For more than two weeks the waste disposal contractors had withdrawn their service from the city, a situation that resulted in massive waste pile-ups in the capital.
The state of the city had developed to such a noxious extent that the Health Ministry through Health Minister Dr Leslie Ramsammy, had threatened to recommend that forceful action be brought against the municipality.
According to the Health Minister last Saturday, “I believe that City Hall has done a terrible job in managing the garbage situation in the city, not only now, but for as long as I know.”
He added that the continued inefficiency and reckless irresponsibility with which the council has managed the garbage situation constitutes a major public health threat.
As such, it is incumbent on the Ministry of Health to express its concern on the matter and recommend to Central Government that action be taken, Dr Ramsammy said.
While he did not disclose any specific action, the Minister did hint at the possibility of Central Government taking up the reins of the municipality and by extension rendering the current administration redundant.
“Unless the present administration within City Hall is able to handle the garbage situation better, we will have reason enough, based on public health concerns, for this Ministry to recommend that stern action be taken. I am being forthright, it is a huge public health threat and it is a threat to the Ministry of Health so I don’t think simply expressing our views is good enough.”
Meanwhile, the municipal Public Relations Officer, Royston King, disclosed that the municipality is still depending on residents, particularly those who have defaulted on the payment of their taxes, to respond to the amnesty offered by the municipality.
In order to encourage defaulting property owners to fulfil their civic responsibility of paying their property taxes, municipality had introduced an amnesty initiative which is intended to relieve taxpayers of accumulated interest.
However, this innovative service, according to King, will only be available until the last day of this month.
Residents, King said, can access the service through the municipal Treasury Department each working day as necessary arrangements have already been put in place.
“The Mayor and City Council is urging residents to take full advantage of the new scheme now, bearing in mind that it is only available for a limited time and is being done in their interest,” King pointed out.
He related to this newspaper that the measure was put in place in recognition of the fact that several residents are not financially able to meet their obligation to pay which is amplified by the accumulated interest.
According to King, the municipality is working assiduously to garner sufficient funds to meet all of its financial obligations.
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