The Guyana Prison Service has been contracted by the Ministry of Local Government and Regional Development to de-bush “block seven” of Le Repentir Cemetery.
Representatives of the Guyana Prison Service pose with some of the equipment they received from the “Clean-Up My Country” committee.
Block seven is bounded by Broad Street to the North, Sussex Street to the South, Louisa Row to the East and St. Stephen’s Street to the West. The contract sum was not revealed in the press release the Ministry disseminated on Tuesday.
This is part of the facelift exercise slated for the cemetery under the $100M “Clean-Up My Country” programme. The cemetery’s access roads will be rehabilitated, vegetation will be cut down and internal drains will be de-silted.
On Tuesday last, the “Clean-Up My Country” committee handed over equipment to the Prison Service.
As part of the contractual agreement, the Prison Service agreed to provide the skills for the clean-up, and the Ministry will be supplying the tools and transportation needed to get the job done. This team comprises 24 inmates and four supervising officers.
The first phase of the clean-up commenced on August 4, where the Guyana Beekeeping Association removed several hives from the cemetery.
During the second phase, contractors began de-silting internal drains and landscaping low-lying areas with silt from the drains.
Today, the Guyana Prison Service will commence the clearing of the bushes in the compound. The debris will be transported to the Haags Bosch Landfill Site situated at Eccles, East Bank of Demerara.
To oversee this countrywide programme, several stakeholders from the Ministry of Local Government and Regional Development, Environmental Protection Agency, Anti-Litter Campaign, Ministry of Public Works, and engineers of Mayor and City Council are seated on the Planning and Implementation Committee.