NA property owners to pay heavy fines for unkept premises

The New Amsterdam Town Council (NATC) has taken a decision to fine property owners with overgrowth on their premises, as much as ,000 if the Town Council has to clean it.
The decision was taken at the NATC’s last statutory meeting, where the topic of the Town’s environment took centre stage.
Following the meeting, head of the Environmental Health Department, Municipal Health Inspector, Ackloo Ramsudh, told Guyana Times that those who would be affected are those who have migrated.
“There are a lot of difficulties in locating the owners of those lots and so the Council has taken a decision since we cannot locate these owners or some of them, that we have served written notices to and have failed to comply… so the Council will enter on those lands, have it weeded and cleaned and the cost incurred in that exercise will be determined by the council. Those monies will be fixed onto the taxes of those proprietors, so those persons who are accustomed to paying 00 and 0 per year, could find that when they come to pay their taxes they have to pay ,000,” Ramsudh said.
According to the health inspector, the council has received complaints that delinquents have been using such places as hideouts. The NATC’s decision is also being welcomed by the Police.
Meanwhile, Ackloo says the department has also been raising concerns over the town’s limited ability to control mosquito borne diseases.
He explained: “We know that there has been an increase in mosquito-borne diseases within the township and within the country as a whole and some of these lands provide a harbour for mosquitoes and the accumulation of water provides breathing grounds for mosquitoes because one cycle of the mosquito’s life takes place in water.”
He said the council is urging errant persons to cooperate with the municipality and have their lots cleared of overgrowth, despite the fact that these fines will bring much needed revenue to the cash-strapped Municipality.