Garbage crisis looms in parts of city as agency threatens withdrawal

Jan 23, 2015 News

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City Hall officials say that the garbage situation in the central and southern parts of Georgetown is likely to worsen now that collection agency Puran Brothers is threatening to withdraw its services.
The company has been servicing the group seven and eight communities following the contract termination of Cevon’s Waste Management, which was initially collecting garbage in those wards.
The group seven areas consist of West Ruimveldt, East Ruimveldt, Castello Housing Scheme, Independence Boulevard, West La Penitence, Jeeboo Land, North East La Penitence, East La Penitence (Freeman Street), Lamaha Springs and Lamaha Park, while group eight comprises Alberttown, Kingston, North Cummingsburg, South Cummingsburg and Queenstown.
The Mayor and City Council (M&CC) told this publication that the body has received several complaints about the inadequate collection of garbage for some time now. This, they said, is as a result of the ongoing feud between the Executive and Administrative arms of the agency.
In late 2013, the acting Town Clerk Carol Sooba had terminated the garbage collection contract for Cevon’s Waste Management but retained Puran Brothers, despite Cevon’s being a larger and better equipped agency. During a Statutory meeting at City Hall, when it was asked of the Town Clerk the matter relating to the two groups, they were told that Puran was conducting voluntary work.

However, the Council said that Puran is threatening to abandon the two groups since the Council owes the contractor ‘millions of dollars.’ Puran was never contracted by the Council, said Deputy Mayor Patricia Chase-Green. She had told the publication that the Town Clerk (ag) had fired Cevon’s without the permission of the Council, and despite continued orders for her to put out tenders for the groups, she has refused.
It was explained, however, that since the Council voted to remove Councilor Junior Garrett as Finance Committee Chairman, vouchers unauthorized by the Council can no longer be signed, because his replacements – also signatories to the Council’s accounts – are unwilling to sign off any payment for Puran because the Council did not hire them.
It is unsure how the Minister got involved in the matter since he has not denounced the Town Clerk (ag) for continuously ignoring Council’s decisions, but he found it fitting to write the Mayor to say that the Council should pay Puran, the Deputy Mayor stated.
According to Chase-Green, the Minister asked the Council to pay Puran Brothers, and then put out tenders for the said areas Sooba had refused. She noted, however, that this will not be done since the “double standard” with the Minister is clear.
“Here we have a Minister of the government who refuses to deal with the infractions of his imposed Town Clerk, but calls on the council to pay someone the council never contracted to collect garbage in groups seven and eight.
“Some time ago, former Town Clerk permitted contractors to work to assist with garbage collection. When Ms Sooba was imposed on the Council she refused to pay those contractors, arguing that she did not see a contract. On that occasion the Minister agreed with Sooba and those contractors were not paid.  In this case, however, the Minister finds it convenient to advise the council that it should settle a debt to the tune of millions of dollars that it is not comfortable with or never authorised.
“The Minister has also asked the company to continue its service in groups seven and eight for a week more while he irons out the issue; but the Council has asked the question, under what authority the Minister has asked the company to continue working and who will be paying them?”
The Deputy Mayor is adamant that under the Municipal and District Council Act, Chapter 28:01 section: 228; 229 (a) (b); and 232: it states that the Council will enter into contracts for the discharge of functions. It also stipulates the grounds surrounding this right. “It should be noted that in every case, the law points to the Council – the elective body, the people’s representatives; not the Town Clerk. Clearly then, the action by Ms. Sooba to hire Puran Brothers without the fiat of Council is illegal,” the Deputy stated.
The Council has a two-tier management structure: the elected Council – Mayor and Councillors, (the policy and decision-makers) and the administration (officers who are obliged to implement those decisions). If the latter fails to do its work then the elected council could appear ineffective as is the case, the Deputy Mayor further stated.
Kaieteur News was told, however, that should the Council fail to address the matter, complaints will continue to pour in, and the “situation could move from bad to worse”.

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