– Jagdeo wants Corbin agreement for IMC
As the stink of rotting garbage continues to choke Georgetown’s residents, the government will hold talks with City Hall today, to see what assistance can be rendered and if PNCR leader Robert Corbin agrees to an Interim Management Committee (IMC) for Georgetown, this can be put in place “tomorrow”, President Bharrat Jagdeo said.
He made it clear that today’s talks would not include Mayor Hamilton Green. “He is from a different era and clearly I’m not working with him,” the President said.
He declared at a press conference at State House yesterday that most of the problems in the city have to do with the inefficiency, lack of leadership and lack of accountability at City Hall.
Jagdeo said he was aware of the problem facing the city adding that Green has been casting blame at the government stating that he is starved of funds.
He asserted that in spite of all the mayor has said, Green’s “two by two initiatives” will not raise a fraction of the money spent by government in the city. He declared that government has spend billions of dollars to fix roads in the city, it has purchased pumps and transferred them to the city, paid for drainage and irrigation works, bailed out the city council in the past, paid for dumpsites, and is spending US$10 million on creating a new dumpsite.
“We pay the largest tax in the city,” Jagdeo stated.
He said today’s meeting will include Deputy Mayor Robert Williams and other staff of City Hall as well as the ministers of Finance, Local Government and Transport and Hydraulics to see what can be done to help Georgetown and its citizens.
Asked whether government ministries and agencies are up to date with rate payments, Jagdeo answered in the affirmative. “We are all up to date in our payments, we have paid our rates and taxes for the first half of the year,” he said, adding that the council is asking for an advance.
Questioned on whether he is in support of an IMC for Georgetown, the Head of State said he thought it was a good idea a long time ago but many people still think that this route shouldn’t be taken. “You ask Corbin. If Corbin is interested in it, we’ll put it in tomorrow. I am in favour of it.”
He said he approves getting “a bunch of decent citizens” to take over the management of the city emphasizing that they do not have to be political figures.
On Monday, at a press conference, Green had revealed that there had been no response from government to requests for financial assistance to pay contractors for collection. He had said that the bottom line was money, which the council does not have to meet its financial obligations to the two companies contracted to collect garbage in the city.
The crisis began just about two weeks ago when garbage collectors refused to work after not receiving payment from City Hall. Since then garbage has piled up in the city, with much of it being dumped indiscriminately at street corners.
Some residents have resorted to burning their refuse, while others have been paying enterprising entrepreneurs who have been driving trucks and horse carts through various communities charging up to $300 to cart off the garbage of each household.