-garbage collection resumes, but schedule off
Garbage collection is to resume in some parts of the city today, Director of the city’s Solid Waste Department Hubert Urlin said yesterday.
In an invited comment, Urlin said the council has been able to source funds in the vicinity of $18 million to pay contractors for January, while a solution for payments for the other months is being worked out.
Prior to a press conference held on Monday to inform the public of the city’s financial crisis, the municipality had been in discussion with the contractors to make this payment, Urlin said.
He said the contractors – Cevon’s Waste Management Incorporated and Puran Brothers Disposal Services – have agreed to recommence their duties after the council met representatives from both contracting services yesterday.
The director pointed out that Crawler and Wheeled Tractor Spares – the company that provides the service at Le Repentir dump site was also compensated for January and is also owed for the other months.
Urlin said yesterday that garbage collection will be done today for places where pick-up is done on Mondays, while removal will be done on Thursday for places where collection is normally done on Tuesdays.
Other areas will have their pick-up pattern as per normal until the situation works itself out. At the press conference on Monday, Mayor Hamilton Green explained the city’s precarious financial situation expressing no surprise that the crisis had occurred. He said the fact is that the city’s revenue is proving grossly inadequate to provide its compulsory services to citizens.
The mayor had pointed out that the city was unable to honour a $50 million solid waste management bill. He had said that the council was in dialogue with the contractors and found them to be “reasonable and understanding,” considering the current situation. He also said that he was sure a reasonable compromise would have been made.
Green pointed out that the city’s expenditure was more than $40 million above its revenue and even if there was optimum collection of taxes, the gap that exists between collected revenue and expenditure would still be a substantial one.
He also highlighted that the council has written to Minister of Local Government, Kellawan Lall to solicit assistance in three areas: payment to GPL for street lighting, additional lamps and repairs to those not functioning along with a subsidy for the council’s daycare services in 2008.
Assistance in dealing with the garbage situation was not one of the areas listed. (Melissa Charles)
