Aranputa/Upper Burro Burro NDC to be audited
─ councillors to benefit from several training programmes
Minister of Local Government and Regional Development, Nigel Dharamlall, MP, has instructed that the operations of the Aranaputa/Upper Burro Burro Neighbourhood Democratic Council (NDC), Region Nine, be audited to ensure accountability and transparency.
The minister gave the directive after reviewing the local organ’s 2021 work programme and the concerns raised by councillors about the council’s progress. He expressed his dissatisfaction with their way of crafting a comprehensive plan to benefit the local organ as opposed to the constituencies it oversees.
Minister Dharamlall pointed out that the local organ’s plans to use its subvention to purchase chairs for events and construct a fence for the NDC, does not highlight the needs of the people at this time.
“I think that you are doing a disservice to the people of Aranaputa NDC, if you are going to use the monies provided to you for projects that seem to only benefit the council and not the people. How do the people of Aranaputa benefit from this? As a government, we need to do better to improve the lives of our people in every way.”
The local government minister stressed that the council’s perspective needs to change to use the government’s resources in a meaningful way, whether it is consulting with residents about their needs, or crafting programmes to increase revenue.
At present, three tractors being managed by the council are in need of repairs at the cost of over $1.3 million, which Minister Dharamlall advised should be addressed instead.
“Our government has no intention to dictate the workings of any NDC, but we cannot allow for this kind of thinking to continue that essentially plays an obstacle to progress and development here. The people of Aranaputa deserve better and we need to do better,” he added.
Issues including the lack of cooperation, consistent absence of staff and limited interaction with residents were also highlighted.
To this end, the minister announced that councillors will benefit from various training programmes to provide them with a better understanding of their roles in order to develop the communities under their purview. Part of the training will be undertaken by the Regional Democratic Council (RDC).