Le Repentir contractors fired for burning bush instead of weeding

…act endangered residents, road users – Manickchand

While 92 contractors had been hired to clean up Le Repentir Cemetery by clearing overgrown vegetation, some have been dismissed after setting fires to burn away the bush, despite being explicitly instructed to use cutlasses and slashers. The practice posed risks to nearby residents and road users amid the prevailing dry conditions.

Local Government and Regional Development Minister Priya Manickchand has reiterated a strict ban on burning at Le Repentir Cemetery, warning that any contractor who lights a fire at the site will be summarily dismissed without payment and may face charges and prosecution.
The Minister met with contractors undertaking de-weeding and de-bushing works at the cemetery to reinforce the directive, following reports of fires being lit to clear vegetation.
“We hired 92 contractors…where we asked people to register, very loosely. It was done through a process that accords with our laws, and, as you can see, the people came from every ethnic background, religion, gender and so on,” Manickchand noted. According to the Minister, the clean-up exercise began three to four days ago as part of the Government’s plan to improve public spaces and ensure that people who access them are treated with dignity and care.
She said the initiative is intended to reform the way public spaces, particularly burial grounds and play parks, are maintained across Guyana. “We want to make sure that people who have to access here, either to visit loved ones or to use it as a burial site, who are already in pain because of both of those issues, can do that easily,” she pointed out.

Manickchand said that some persons involved in the clean-up had disregarded clear instructions, and opted to use fire to clear the vegetation. “… some people will be fired today because, instead of weeding with a cutlass or a slasher, they decided they were going to light fires across this burial ground so that they could finish this easy,” she said.
She noted that the fires had caused inconvenience and harm to nearby residents and road users, while warning that the prevailing dry conditions increased the risk of fires spreading.
“That caused a lot of inconvenience and harm to some residents who live here and road users, and it’s very dangerous in this El Niño time when everything is dry, bone dry, and it’s so easy to catch a fire,” Manickchand said.
The Minister also condemned the contractors’ actions as a breach of their contractual obligations, stressing that they had been explicitly instructed not to burn vegetation.
Manickchand apologised to residents and road users for the inconvenience caused by the fires on the previous day.
She further underscored that the Ministry had clearly instructed contractors to use appropriate tools and equipment to carry out the work.
“We said very clearly, do not light fires. Use your slasher, use your cutlasses and hose and rakes and so on,” she said.
According to the Minister, meetings were held with the contractors to communicate the instructions, and those involved had indicated that they understood what was required of them.

However, she said some contractors still disregarded the instructions and proceeded to light fires.
“They cannot stay on the project, they will not be paid for the project, and so I gave a little warning to the contractors who are still out here: you light a fire, today will be your last day again, like the last day for some people was yesterday,” Manickchand said.
She assured residents and road users that action was being taken against those responsible and that the Ministry would continue working to ensure the cemetery was properly cleared without putting the public at risk.
Only on Thursday Guyana times reported that Cleaning, weeding, and maintenance works have commenced at the Le Repentir Cemetery, Georgetown, as the Government moves to introduce a burial ground policy aimed at establishing minimum standards for cemeteries across Guyana.
Local Government and Regional Development Minister Priya Manickchand said the proposed policy would address maintenance, accessibility and facilities at burial grounds, including washrooms, pathways to graves and proper spacing between tombs.