Rehabilitation of city’s infrastructure underway

– Min. Dharamlall

Minister of Local Government and Regional Development, Hon. Nigel Dharamlall has said the rehabilitation of Georgetown’s public infrastructure has begun. 

He made this statement during a sideline interview at the swearing-in ceremony for regional officials hosted at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre (ACCC) on Monday. 

His Excellency, Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali, had mandated an Inter-Ministerial Task Force to focus specifically on Georgetown’s enhancement. It comprises the Ministries of Agriculture, Home Affairs, Public Works and Local Government.

“We’ve done quite a lot of work already. We did a reconnaissance survey of what the gaps are in Georgetown…Through the Ministries of Agriculture and Public Works, we have already started [drainage and irrigation] management and some road maintenance,” Minister Dharamlall said.  

While the Minister has had productive discussions with the Georgetown Mayor and City Council (M&CC), he is calling on the Mayor, His Worship, Ubraj Narine to show the same energy he displayed during the APNU+AFC Administration. 

In moving forward, the Minister explained that the Local Government Commission would be restored to handle administrative issues within City Hall effectively. 

Additionally, he stressed the importance of each town conducting yearly audits since “billions of dollars were accrued in the last few years and we [the Local Government Ministry] would like to see whether the resources were spent prudently or using the procurement process.” 

In a DPI interview last week, the Minister noted that from 2015 – 2019, Georgetown revenue totaled $10.7 billion; Linden, $1.2 billion; New Amsterdam, $645 million, while Corriverton, Anna Regina and Rose Hall garnered $425 million, $272 million, $216 million respectively.  Minister Dharamlall intends to develop a better working relationship with all Councils and citizens over the next few months.