‘This cannot continue’ -Manickchand calls out Mayor, APNU councillors over Georgetown sanitation
Minister of Local Government and Regional Development, Priya Manickchand, on Monday issued a stern warning over the deteriorating state of sanitation in Georgetown, signalling that patience has run out amid what she described as political obstruction and a failure to serve residents.
In a statement following a meeting with the Mayor, several councillors and the Chief Sanitation Officer, Manickchand said she made her position clear on the unacceptable conditions in the capital.
“I expressed my deep concern, disappointment and consternation about the state of the City of Georgetown. What currently obtains is wholly unacceptable,” the minister said.
She stressed that basic services must function properly, noting that, “Sanitation services, solid waste disposal, garbage collection etc MUST be reliable, predictable and effective.”
According to Manickchand, the continued failures amount to a denial of residents’ rights. “Or they are wasting time, failing to serve the residents of Georgetown and denying the residents of the City, and those who visit, their due entitlement to a city that is clean and habitable,” she said.
The minister told city officials they were required to submit a concrete plan to address the situation. “They are to report to me at 11am tomorrow their plan for effective change. I will keep you updated,” she stated.
However, matters escalated later on Monday when Manickchand revealed that a scheduled meeting to chart a way forward on solid-waste disposal collapsed at the last minute.
“Yesterday, the Mayor and some councillors accepted my invitation to meet today at 11am in a closed meeting to discuss a way forward for solid waste disposal in the city,” she explained.
She said that on Monday morning she requested that all councillors be invited to allow for broader representation. “This morning I asked that all councillors be invited so that I could benefit from the contribution of each Councillor and therefore the people who live in their respective constituency,” Manickchand said.
According to the minister, the meeting did not proceed as planned. “At the last minute the Mayor declined the invitation he had already accepted. Notably, no APNU Councillor was present at the meeting. Those who came, received a call and hurriedly left the compound,” she disclosed.
Manickchand said she invited the media to be briefed on efforts made by her ministry to work with the Mayor and City Council (M&CC). “I then invited the press to be briefed on the work that went into trying to build a collaborative relationship and on the various discussions that have been had where commitments were made by the M&CC but not kept,” she said.
The minister did not mince words in expressing her frustration, asserting that, “It is clear the Mayor and APNU councillors benefit in some way from a city that is approaching being inhabitable.”
“This cannot continue,” she added, making it clear that governance and service delivery must take precedence over politics. “Service to citizens must trump my desire to work (even tirelessly) for a more collaborative effort between central Govt and the M&CC.”
Manickchand underscored that the public should not bear the cost of political disputes. “The residents and users of the City must not be held hostage to poor politics,” she said.
Emphasising the responsibility of public officials, the minister concluded, “We have a duty to be responsive to the needs of our residents, users and visitors to Georgetown. And that duty will be honored.”
