Construction is underway at the Memorial Gardens and Crematorium at the Le Repentir Cemetery in the city after the Environmental Protection Agency determined that no Environmental Impact Assessment was required.
Speaking with Stabroek News yesterday, Deputy Mayor of Georgetown, Patricia Chase-Green, reveal-ed that construction has already begun on the new crematorium and that the space will be leased annually to the private investor.
She stated that since early 2013 the Mayor and City Council along with the revived Cemetery Committee began to seriously look at an application by Dr Carl Niamatali to build a crematorium. She said that the city’s role will be to lease the land and that all services will be run by Dr Niamatali and his association.
Chase-Green stated that for years there were numerous bids and applications to assist with the restoration of the cemetery, but for one reason or another none ever panned out. She recalled that in 2006 and 2007 the cemetery committee began to revive its work and assessed various proposals.
Chase-Green noted that although there were numerous proposals, Dr Niamatali was more aggressive in his pursuit and did seem more prepared to begin construction. She noted that construction of the crematorium is slated for early this year.
The EPA issued a public notice in the Saturday edition of the Stabroek News stating that authorization had been granted to not only the Memorial Gardens and Crematorium but also to Qualfon’s Call Centre and Water Treatment Plant at Providence, East Bank Demerara; Caribbean Rush Beverages Incorporated’s Alcohol Bottling and Blending, Beterverwagting, East Coast Demerara; Best Scrap Storage and Export of Used Lead Acid Batteries, Melanie Damishana, ECD and Sultan Emran Khan Hollow Blocks, Felicity, ECD.
