Mayor Hamilton Green has warned against the government’s proposal to cover canals in the city to facilitate parking, saying that if this plan should be implemented it would be a “monumental” tragedy.
The proposal to cover the Avenue of the Republic and Croal Street canals was made by the Minister of Housing and Water Irfaan Ali, who, at Cabinet Meeting earlier in November, suggested the plan to ease the parking congestion in the downtown capital area.
Although Cabinet was in favour of the proposal, Cabinet Secretary Dr Roger Luncheon said Ali was given a directive by government to hold consultations with the public to get feedback and proposals before the project was initiated.
However, Green said on Thursday at a news conference that it will be a “monumental tragedy” if the plan should be implemented, arguing that it will “disfigure” the look of the city and cause other complications.
“The beauty of the city are the canals, we already made big mistakes by filling up Independence Boulevard and so forth…and to cover them up will compromise the ability of the council to clean the canals…,” he said.
“This has to be the brainchild of some idiot… the Minister [not identified by Green], like a typical bully, took away from this council a money making car park east of the Stabroek Market,” he said.
Green also stated that some judges, who sit in the High Court along the Avenue of the Republic, have complained that the proposal has potential to contribute to noise nuisance in the area.
