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NDCs’ overhaul…Overseers ordered to pack up, hand over by February 3

Jan 29, 2012 News

 -staff unhappy

Government has a embarked on a major overhaul of the local government structure with several functionaries, including overseers of the Neighborhood Democratic Councils (NDC), ordered to hand over properties and responsibilities by next Friday, February 3.
A number of Regional Executive Officers (REOs) and engineers have already been reassigned.
A senior government official yesterday cited corruption and the need to ensure the effective functioning of the NDCs.
But the orders contained in letters sent to overseers are not going down well with a number of them.
Last week, the Ministry of Local Government and Regional Development reportedly issued letters to workers of the 14 NDCs, ordering 11 of them to hand over properties and records by Friday coming.
Overseers in Region Three received their letters on Friday.
“We were not told of this before. We are being ordered to other areas we are not familiar with and on top of this, the council (NDC) was not even notified first,” complained one Region Three overseer who asked not to be named.
“There are some of us who have been working as overseers for about 20 years. Now we have to find extra money to pay passage and plus get to know the new areas all over again.”
According to a number of overseers, whose average take home pay is around $40,000 monthly, they will now be seeking their council’s intervention with a number of emergency meetings scheduled for as early as tomorrow.
According to Collin Croal, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Local Government, this rotation is for the entire local government system to ensure effectiveness in all functions.
“We are reorganizing for overall efficiency and are looking at a rotational system under the Local Government Ministry to ensure transparency and effectiveness in the functions of the councils. The reassignment of overseers to the respective Neighbourhood Democratic Councils would be at no less favourable terms and conditions that are currently received,” said Croal.
Kaieteur News understands that there is no rule standing that the Overseers must/have to come from the community in question; thus, the reshuffling is lawful and can be administered at any point in time.
It was also noted that only a few of these Overseers will need to travel some distance from their respective homes in Region Three to get to their new NDCs.
There have been heavy criticisms of the functioning of the NDCs over recent years with rampant accusations of corruption and inefficiency. There have been a number of reported fraud cases with at least one overseer from the East Bank Demerara sent home last year and another embroiled in a scandal to sell a playground belonging to the village.
There has not been any marked increase in rates and taxes in recent years, a key cause NDCs are blaming on the poor upkeep of infrastructure in some areas.
Government is reportedly giving the 65 NDCs countrywide $3M each annually for critical works.

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