Linden’s Deputy Mayor is bemoaning what he describes as a lack of consultation on the developmental plans for the mining town.
Wainwright Bethune told Stabroek News that the Mayor and City Council of Linden have heard about plans by the government to develop Linden, but local leaders have not been consulted. He said that while the plans are positive for the mining town, local leaders should be consulted and their input considered.
According to the Deputy Mayor, in the interest of development, there need to be serious conversations at both the national and local government level. Bethune listed the one thousand move-in ready homes and the solar farms as two of the projects that the Council was not consulted on. He told Stabroek News that a request for the blueprint of the 1000 move-in ready homes project and the proposed locations, has so far not been granted by government.
The Deputy Mayor cited environmental implications and undeveloped mining deposits as two of the reasons why it was important for the Council to know the locations of the houses.
At a flag-raising ceremony at Linden in May, Minister of Housing and Water Collin Croal had announced the part-time jobs and the 1,000 homes.
Bethune also took issue with government’s short-term work initiative, which saw workers cleaning drains around Linden. He noted that while the project was good for the people of Linden, in that it provided temporary relief through employment, local leaders should have been consulted.
“As a Council we know where the areas that need prioritizing are. Residents complain to the Councilor for their area and these complaints are relayed to the M&CC, so we know where the major problems are and which area is priority,” he stated.
“Any development or proposed programme for development should include local leaders. We represent the people of Linden and when we are excluded from plans for expansion and development we are short-changing them,” Bethune opined.
In February of 2021, Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo at a press conference had announced that there would be solar farms at Linden.
Bethune said that all the council knew about the solar farms are that there would three of them and they would located at Millie’s Hideout, Retrieve and Wismar. Once again, he said, there was no consultation about the farms. He said that all these plans for Linden are great, but collaboration with local leaders is necessary.
According to the Deputy Mayor, the development and improvement of Linden and its people are priorities and the Council would work with anyone in a bipartisan manner to see this happens. “We should work together on the many things we agree and not let those we disagree on cancel, everything,” he said. Bethune said that he stands ready to work with government for the betterment of Linden.
