Cabinet still awaits response from Mayor on Georgetown playfields saga

Mar 04, 2018 News

Minister of Communities,
Ronald Bulkan

Minister of Communities, Ronald Bulkan, has said that he is still awaiting a response from the Mayor of Georgetown, Patricia Chase-Green, regarding plans by the Mayor and City Council (M&CC) to convert open land spaces into housing development areas.
Bulkan told Kaieteur News that the information from the Mayor is needed so he can respond to concerns from residents and his colleagues in Cabinet.
The Minister dispatched a strongly worded letter dated January 29, 2018 to the Mayor outlining central government’s displeasure with the council’s plans for the Farnum field and lands in Bel Air Park and Lamaha Park/Lamaha Gardens.
“I am still awaiting information from the mayor and the municipality to be able to respond to concerns that have been expressed to me by concerned residents in each of those three communities as well as Cabinet colleagues. Concerns have also been expressed to me by councillors within the Georgetown Municipality and I think the mayor is aware of this,” Bulkan stated.
In the letter to the Mayor, Bulkan stated that he requires a response regarding what applicable action(s) the Council contemplates or intends to perform on the playground matters, given the position of central government.
“Kindly provide correspondence relating to these two areas to enable me to properly apprise Cabinet,” Bulkan told Chase-Green in the letter.
The Council’s Business and Investment Committee had decided that town houses should be constructed on the Bel Air Park playground for the Mayor, Town Clerk, City Engineer and Medical Officer of Health.
It is believed that given the scope and expenditure of the housing project it should have been brought to the floor of the council.
The Mayor has already chided the Minister for ‘interfering’ in the work of City Hall.
Bulkan had outlined that before a matter of such a sensitive nature could be placed on the agenda of the Council, the constituency representative should inform and support the relevant undertaking.
The Minister further reminded the Council that it is an elected body that was established to represent the interest of the people.
“You are doubtlessly aware that Article 9 of the Constitution of Guyana states that sovereignty belongs to the people who exercise it through their representatives and the democratic organs established by or under this constitution.”
Minister Bulkan noted that members of Cabinet are also in favour of the suspension of the plans of the In the case of the Bel Air land, resident and lawyer, Devindra Kissoon, initially filed Court action, securing a ‘cease and desist’ order.
As part of his efforts to safeguard the Bel Air Park playfield, the lawyer wrote to President David Granger, Minister of State Joseph Harmon and Minister Bulkan outlining the position of Bel Air Park residents on the matter.
Kaieteur News understands that the Council was in negotiations with local housing developer, Terrence Taljit, to transfer to him prime community lands despite a restriction on the transport of the property for use as community purposes only.
The plot of land is earmarked as the Bel Air Park playground.
However, court documents revealed that the property historically existed as an open space.

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