City Council fails to pay Georgetown garbage collectors for months

…Central Govt steps in

Local Government and Regional Development Minister Priya Manickchand on Tuesday said the Central Government has intervened to address the worsening garbage situation in Georgetown after meeting with garbage collectors contracted by the city council, who revealed that they have not been paid for months.
Taking to social media to address the intervention, the Minister said the meeting was held after what she described as inaction by the Mayor.
“This morning [Tuesday], I met with the garbage collectors contracted by the City Council. “This is after the Mayor himself failed, neglected and/or refused to do anything practical or sensible to offer relief to the residents and users of Georgetown who are complaining about the filthy state of the capital city,” Manickchand stated.

She added that the service providers outlined several challenges during the meeting, chief among them the non-payment of wages despite the availability of funds at the City Council.
“At this meeting, the providers offered their challenges, including that they had not been paid in months, although there is funding at the City Council for that. We found solutions. You will see and feel relief shortly,” the Minister said.
Manickchand further asserted that the Central Government would not allow political considerations to negatively affect the well-being of Georgetown residents.
“At Central Government, we are clear that neither the Mayor nor APNU will be allowed to cause the citizens of Georgetown to suffer for cheap political points. Georgetown will be rescued,” she added.
On Monday, Manickchand had vowed to move ahead with programmes to improve sanitation and overall conditions in Georgetown, with or without the support of the Mayor and City Council (M&CC).
The position was articulated by Manickchand after Georgetown Mayor Alfred Mentore and councillors aligned to the A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) boycotted a meeting convened to address the city’s growing solid waste management challenges.
Manickchand accused the Mayor and APNU councillors of actively undermining efforts to resolve Georgetown’s sanitation issues after a scheduled closed-door meeting collapsed at the last minute, despite prior commitments from the municipal leadership. She said repeated attempts to foster collaboration between Central Government and the M&CC have been frustrated, warning that residents, users, and visitors to the capital must not be held hostage to partisan politics.
According to the Minister, concerns intensified following what she described as inconsistent public statements by the Mayor on garbage collection. This prompted a meeting on Sunday afternoon involving the Mayor, councillors and the city’s chief sanitation officer, during which she expressed deep concern, disappointment and consternation over the state of the capital.