A sum of $100 million has been allocated for the restoration of the City Hall building, Minister of Local Government and Regional Development Nigel Dharamlall announced on Thursday.
During his contribution to the budget debate in the National Assembly, Dharamlall noted that the People’s Progressive Party/ Civic (PPP/C) administration is determined to restore the historic building and works will commence this year.
He also said President Irfaan Ali has set up an inter-ministerial committee to rebuild the city.
Dharamlall previously signaled that central government would be moving to restore the historic building given its heritage value.
Dharamlall had said that while it is was also recognised that it is the mandate of the Mayor and City Council to get the job done, it was decided that it would be best for government to begin the restoration due to the municipality being badly mismanaged.
Meanwhile, Mayor Ubraj Narine at a recent vendors meeting held this month, told reporters that the City Hall building falls under the National Trust and disclosed that government needs to play a pivotal role in restoring it.
Narine said a report was done by the European Union (EU) detailing the needs for the restoration of the building, which was pegged at close to $1 billion in cost.
The Mayor explained that after taking office, in his attempt to have the building restored, he launched a restoration fund in hopes of sourcing donations to help fund works on the building.
However, an update on the status of the restoration fund as of last year revealed it to be stagnant, since persons had stopped making donations.
