Latest update July 13th, 2026 3:15 AM
Latest News
GT Council must be proactive in reclaiming city roads, lands or risk losing valuable assets — Former Mayor
(Kaieteur News) The Georgetown Mayor and City Council needs to be more proactive in reclaiming control of roads and prominent lands under threat of takeover, or risk losing these valuable assets permanently, former City Mayor Pandit Ubraj Narine has warned.
In an invited comment with Kaieteur News, Narine said he has taken note of the issue and the Council’s apparent reluctance to act. “I’m not sure why they’re not being more proactive, but this is not something the Council should drag its feet about,” he said.
According to the former Mayor, the Council is well within its rights to challenge the central government in court over any move to seize roads or land under municipal control.
Former City Mayor, Pandit Ubraj Narine
“First, let me say that the Carifesta Avenue property was a gift to the Council for the citizens of Georgetown. I saw a copy of the transport myself when I was there during my time as Mayor — it was in the possession of the Town Clerk. So, the government’s takeover of that land should be challenged in court,” Narine said.
He noted that the Water Street property, which once housed the training school for the City Constabulary Department, is also under threat of takeover by the central government. The Council, he said, should move swiftly to resist such action, which he argued undermines core principles of local governance.
Narine said similar urgency is needed to stop the government’s takeover of city streets, explaining that the roads are a key revenue source for an already cash-strapped council.
“It is therefore surprising that a matter has not yet been filed in court. I don’t understand the reluctance of the Council in safeguarding the assets of the Council,” he said, before urging the Council to act urgently. “If they don’t, they risk losing the valuable asset,” he warned.
The Georgetown Mayor and City Council has publicly condemned the takeover as an act of “bullyism” aimed at starving the municipality of much-needed funds. In an earlier statement, City Mayor Alfred Mentore described it as “a calculated act of political intimidation and overreach, designed to destabilise the Municipality and silence the voices of the people of Georgetown.”
He vowed the city would take the government to court over the “unlawful takeover.” However, months have passed since that pledge, and Kaieteur News has repeatedly reached out to Mentore for updates on the legal move — with the mayor maintaining only that the matter is being “carefully studied by lawyers.”
Since March, the central government, through the Ministry of Public Works, has gazetted orders stripping the Georgetown municipality of authority over 57 key revenue-generating corridors — 22 streets gazetted on March 21, followed by an additional 35 on March 24.
Earlier this year, the Council also raised objections after the government announced that a Qatari investor would build a dual-branded Hilton hotel on Carifesta Avenue — land historically under municipal control. The Mayor and Councillors had vowed to challenge that move in court as well.
Share this:
Discover more from Kaieteur News
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
Similar Articles
Blunt of the day
Sports
Features/Columnists
Sir. Ronald Sanders
The GHK Lall Column
Weekend Cartoon
