CAROL SOOBA

GUYANA TIMES, Feb 10 ---

Georgetown Mayor Hamilton Green has complained about the decision by Two Clerk Carol Sooba to double and triple the fees for vendors who use the streets to ply their trade on Mashramani Day.

Green told a news conference that major companies have voiced their concerns on this issue in letters and visits to the mayor’s office.

He noted that Sooba continues to make executive decisions, without his consent or approval of the council, pointing out that the hike is exorbitant.

Green pointed out that Banks DIH is reluctant to take part in this year’s Mash celebrations.

According to Green, picnickers on the Merriman’s Mall are expected to pay a whopping $8000 to enjoy their annual Mash outings; photographers $15,000; and persons wishing to sell local treats like, channa, palouri etcetera $10,000.

Green said it is reported that some major players are being asked to pay as much three times the amount they were asked to pay in 2012, when all prices were sanctioned by the mayor’s office prior to 2013.

Deputy Mayor Patricia Chase-Greene elaborating on the issue, pointed out that the reason a fee was asked to be paid for the allocation of spots in the first instant “was to assist with the cleaning up of the city after the Mashramani celebrations”.

However, this project has become an economical venture for the Georgetown municipality   and it was never the council’s intention to exploit the Guyanese people who wanted to come out and view the Mashramani parade.

“These hikes are defeating the purpose of the Mashramani celebrations and exploiting the Guyanese people on a national level,” Chase-Green said. The deputy mayor lamented what she described as the disrespect of the duly-elected council by Sooba and calls for local government elections immediately to help clean up the municipality.

Over the past weeks, a number of burials had to be postponed due to flooding at the Le Repentir Cemetery, which falls under the Mayor and City Council. Asked by the media about the state cemetery, Councillor Ranwell Jordan spoke about a crematorium, which he said is near completion.

However, Jordon claimed he was never informed about the building of the crematorium, even though he had prior knowledge of a move to build such a facility.

Jordan said that it was only during a recent visit to the cemetery that he discovered that the facility had almost been completed. He said the council has some concerns about the location of the crematorium, and even though these were raised with the relevant authorities, they were ignored.