M&CC extends outreach to East Bank communities

Sep 14, 2015 News

The Georgetown Mayor and City Councillors, (M&CC) has extended assistance to communities along the East Bank Demerara corridor.
According to a statement from City Hall, the Council has begun cleaning and desilting of all the street drains, alleyway drains and canals in Agricola, Mc Doom, Houston and Meadow Bank, East Bank Demerara.
The statement outlined that the Council mobilized manpower and equipment to address critical issues affecting residents in these area.
A team comprising Engineers, Building Inspectors, Waste Management Officers, Environmental Health Officers and Debt Collectors has since been deployed to the communities.
According to the Council, the outreach was a direct response to a meeting with the residents held on Wednesday last.
During the meeting, residents identified areas of need in their communities and asked for the Council’s intervention.
The M&CC had noted that it does not have adequate manpower to efficiently execute routine works at the moment but subsequently interacted with the residents and provided critical information/assistance on the payment of rates and other matters.

M&CC officials engage a resident at the community outreach, last week.

According to the information, the Debt Collection team served notices on defaulting rates payers.
Some 75 Demand Notices were served in the area. In excess of $14 million in rates and taxes is owed to the Council for the mentioned areas.
Several yards in the neighbourhoods were also inspected by waste management officers.
The Council noted too, that if persons were did not have proper waste disposal means, refuse receptacles were offered free to pensioners but non-pensioners were required to secure them at $1000 apiece.
The M&CC Solid Waste Management Department also placed to large bins at strategic locations in the communities to facilitate the deposit of bulk waste. Every second Saturday of each month, has been designated for the collection of bulk waste.
Additionally, environmental health workers inspected the yards to ensure that they were in keeping with required public health standards.
In instances of violation, residents were educated and given an opportunity to remedy the defects. In some cases, Building Inspectors provided advice to residents on how to correct building code infractions.
The Council is set to conduct similar exercises in other communities.