Cleaning the heart of the city before it’s too late

Oct 15, 2013 Letters

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DEAR EDITOR,
As a Guyanese and totally fed-up with the condition of the city and the country as a whole, not only with the crimes, the protesting at schools, the run-down police stations, non-operating street and traffic lights and the un-professionalism of most Government places when you go to transact a business, etc.
Guyana was never at this stage as far as I can remember. It seems that we the people, the Government and the people in authority to protect and enforce the laws are all failing. And for what reason? Maybe we might never have the answers or maybe we just do not care.
I read the newspapers each day and I ask myself, why things cannot be fixed or solved and why we allowed it to grow into a monster we cannot control, we all learned proverbs in school, and we remember “A Stitch in Time May save nine.”
Now, let me go back to the topic of the letter. Having a cleaned, organised, tidy, well kept, drugs-free, crime free country would automatically encourage people from all around the world to speak about Guyana and come see the country once called El Dorado/the Garden City.
Ideas or suggestions for the short term, long term and sustainability of Guyana‘s Garbage collection.
(1) Cleaning major trenches within the city, here is the list – Lamaha St, Church St, Carifesta Ave, Vlissengen Road, Croal St/South Road, Princes St, Sussex St and Front Road. By cleaning those major trenches, when it rains, the water has somewhere to go and avoid flooding the city and causing damage to roads and property.
(2) The areas for major cleaning should be (East/West – Public Road, La-Penitence, Water Street to Vlissengen, Sheriff Street) + (North/South – Seawall Road to Mandela Avenue) as a short term. – See https://maps.google.ca/
(3) You can hire new people for this six-week project or use the same in the town council and Ministry of Works, with private contractors or
(4) Tender new bids for contractor/s to take this project – new and existing contractors – they will be responsible for hiring temporary employees.
(5) Work seven days a week to ensure this project is completed – reporting directly to a Minister with collaboration of the Town Clerk and a private businessmen.
(6) All Safety items for cleaning can be purchased locally or overseas, see links
(7) http://www.uline.ca/Cls_18/Safety-Supplies?pricode=DB893&gclid=CKCQmfepjLoCFYZaMgoddmEAYQ&gclsrc=aw.ds
(8) http://www.tsasafety.com/safetyvests/ansisafetyvests.html?gclid=CJzc28uqjLoCFUJlMgodQykAcQ
(9) Divide the areas mentioned into sub-sections and have 2-3 contactors bid, each will be responsible for his/her area of cleaning.
(10) All alleyways, gutters, sidewalks, parapets must be cleaned, weeded, painted and repaired, if needed (this is where the Ministry of Works comes in) and possibly decorate the areas for the Christmas (Lights/paint the trees etc)
(11) After the cleaning is completed, each business entity or private resident is responsible to maintaining in front of his/her yard/fence/parapet.
(12) Do not give one contractor to do all the work; they will not clean as I/we would expect it to be done. I mean all concrete alleys and gutters should be cleaned until we see the bottom of it.
(13) Hire all sand trucks available, particular Sundays when most stores are closed and less people on the road. This is a better day for the cleaning on the major shopping areas.
Long Term
(1) New and existing contractors are to be monitored and ensure they follow their agreement as agreed upon.
(2) Many people will get jobs to work with contractors and more NIS will be received.
(3) Different communities can have their own contractor depending on the size of the community and not several areas for one contractor.
(4) If new and existing contractors cannot purchase more garbage trucks, then the Government or Council should, and work out a deal, whereby there are monthly deductions from service rendered until paid off in full.
(5) Extend the cleaning to all areas and let contractor/s bid – possibly businessmen in those communities.
(6) Residents and businesses will be charged a stipulated fee if they cannot keep their direct area clean, tidy and organised.
(7) Every three years the owner must bring a recent photo of property (front) showing the lot number (same as what banks ask for when applying for a loan), this way the council will see if their rates and taxes need to change, as people open businesses and are not paying the relevant taxes. Said picture can be scanned into the system.  This brings in more taxes to manage the city.
(8) Proper safety items must be used by all contractors when cleaning the city/communities.
(9) Supervisors will be responsible for ensuring that areas are being cleaned – for example if garbage is supposed to be collected every Wednesday, the supervisor responsible for the weekly cleaning must sign a form confirming this was done, a copy of this form must be submitted with the invoice to the council or Ministry responsible for paying the contractor at the end of the month or what was agreed upon.
(10) Several bids should be tendered for different types of garbage connection – for example, cleaning of only large bins at various points in the city, markets, hospitals, residents’ bins only, business areas only, gutters/alleys, parapets only etc., this way it can be properly monitored and not one contractor doing all of the above – he/she will not be able. It is better to share the pie and there will be better monitoring. Each contractor will be responsible for his specific type.
(11) Disband the city council as currently constituted; a special office must be set up for collecting rates and taxes
(12) All contractors will report to a special committee and the relevant Ministry or Town Clerk.
(13) All repairs to roads will be another committee, tree-trimming and printing, repairs of bridges etc.
(14) The rates and taxes will be divided for those committees based on their yearly budget.
Sustainability
Many more ideas and suggestions can be given, but I am sure there are people within the present council, Ministries, EPA, private and public sector who can review the situation, put things in place, and stop the delay.
Having more contractors will not burden anyone. Contractors will be responsible and have a smaller area to clean; more people will be hired, more rates and taxes will be collected and there will be a cleaner and healthier city/country for all.
I am tired and embarrassed to see what our country/city has gone to. Can we not find 250M GY$ (estimate) to make this happen in the short term? Would it not cost more if serious diseases break out? Would the damage to property not cost more if we get another major flood?  Would it not cost us more if visitors stop coming to Guyana?
Remember the proverb.
A. Whyte

 

 

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