Georgetown’s Chief Engineer Colvern Venture is refuting claims made by Mayor Ubraj Narine at a recent statutory meeting of council that he has not responded to a letter sent to him some six months ago.
On Monday, the Mayor and City Councillors voted to have Venture’s vacation leave postponed until the handover of the Engineer’s Department is complete and the Mayor receives responses to letters he said he wrote to Venture months ago.
Narine singled out a correspondence he said he sent about six months ago, requesting from Venture a report to be forwarded to the Chinese ambassador, who wants to “engage the city.”
Venture told Stabroek News that the reports are inaccurate, while stating that he did not receive a letter from the Mayor six months ago, but only received the letter on May 13th 2019. He added that the correspondence he received was seeking information regarding a visit to China in 2017, involving a delegation which included himself, former Mayor Patricia Chase-Green and then Town Clerk Royston King.
He related that two councillors also attended that trip and subsequent to their return, a report was presented to the full council by King.
He added that a correspondence from him to provide a report on the trip, which was previously presented to the council, could not in any way stall discussions with the Chinese Ambassador.
“A report was done at the full council so whatever agreement between the Mayor in Suzhou and the Mayor in Guyana… the information would have been with the Mayor’s office and also with the office of the Town Clerk. Whatever discussions or whatever MoUs have been signed, the office of the Town Clerk will have copies… I don’t see how a report from me would stall a discussion with the Chinese ambassador when we could have simply gone back to those minutes of the meetings and pick up from there what was happening,” Venture opined.
During a telephone interview, he told Stabroek News that he did not proceed on leave on Monday but was in the compound of City Hall while his deputy sat in his place at the statutory meeting. “I understand the impression given at the full council meeting is that I proceeded on leave without handing over; that I don’t do. Whenever I proceed on leave I do a written hand over to whoever will be taking over the position; that is a standard operating procedure,” the engineer said.
He stated that he was in the process of completing the hand over to the deputy, who will be taking over in his absence, having been approved by the full council.
Venture said that the Deputy City Engineer, along with the Town Clerk, were both aware that he did not proceed on leave, as he was still completing the hand over process.
It was previously reported that following Narine’s complaints, one of the councillors suggested to the Mayor that Venture remains at work until the handing over process is completed. A motion was later moved by one of the councillors that Venture should not proceed on vacation leave until the handing over process is complete and the Mayor receives responses to his letters. The motion was voted on and unanimously carried.
