Govt, city councillors collaborate to clean up Regent Street
The Ministry of Local Government and Regional Development on Sunday continued its massive clean-up exercise along Regent Street, Georgetown, which began earlier last week.
The exercise received full participation from several employees of the city council, vendors, volunteers, and even former PNC/R Georgetown Mayor, Patricia Chase-Green, who all helped to remove garbage as well as clean and clear drains along the roadway.
Members of the private sector, including Ansa McAl, assisted in providing cleaning supplies for the enhancement project.
Speaking with the Department of Public Information (DPI), Minister Nigel Dharamlall said he received multiple complaints about the state of the drains from vendors and shoppers when he conducted a walkabout Monday last.
He said Regent Street is one of the primary business areas in Georgetown, and as such plans were immediately put in place to advance the clean-up efforts.
“This is going to be a continuous exercise to upgrade and enhance the quality of life, and in this case, the quality of business in Georgetown. I’d like to encourage everyone that uses Regent Street and anyone who traverses the streets of Georgetown to keep the place clean, and those vendors who are plying their trade on the streets, for them to ensure that their environment, the areas where they…conduct their businesses…remain in a pristine condition,” the minister underscored.
He stated that the ongoing enhancements taking place in Georgetown and across the country are all part of President, Dr Mohamed Irfaan Ali’s vision to develop Guyana into a first-world-status country.
“With the investments that we are making in Georgetown, outside of the architectural landscape, we are also doing quite a lot of work on the ground itself…to make sure that Georgetown gets back to its glory days of being the top city, and hopefully, in the near future, the top destination in the Caribbean,” Minister Dharamlall expressed.
Town Clerk (ag) Candace Nelson, and City Engineer, Colvern Venture, expressed similar sentiments, noting the importance of effective drainage in the capital city, which is below sea level.
The city engineer said vendors along Regent Street will not be removed and urged for there to be conscious waste disposal.
“Do it in a proper manner, so we can have a free flow of water within the drain, [so] we don’t have flooding within the city, and we could prevent the recurrence of what usually happens when we have heavy downpours,” he stressed.
The current phase of the clean-up started at the Avenue of the Republic, and ended at Camp Street.
The local government ministry has also planned a nationwide cleanup for early May, ahead of Independence Day.