(Guyana Times)Local Government and Regional Development Minister Norman Whittaker on Monday announced that the $1 billion cleanup project for Georgetown and its surrounding areas will be commencing this week.

The Minister, who made the disclosure at a press conference in the Ministry’s boardroom, informed media operatives that even though an official launch will not be done for the programme, several systems have already been put in place for it to commence.

He said the public tendering process for the various projects under the umbrella of the cleanup campaign commenced as of Monday, while four garbage trucks have already been procured to help in the pick-up and transportation of the garbage from the location to the dumpsite.

Whittaker related that contrary to what many may believe, the $1 billion will not solely be used for the removal of garbage around the city, but instead, garbage removal was just a minor segment of the entire project.

“The process has already started and we will be focusing on restoration and rehabilitation. We will not just be removing garbage but we will also be focusing on the de-bushing and maintenance of cemeteries; most particularly, the Le Repentir Cemetery; we are focusing on the reactivation of defunct kokers and sluices and the desilting of drains and canals to reduce flooding; rehabilitation and restoration processes will be undertaken for national monuments, market areas, public parks and public open spaces; and the planting of trees on the seawalls. In addition, parapets, alleyways and other surrounding areas will be weeded and cleared,” the Minister said.

As it relates to the implementation and the execution of the activities, Whittaker said there will be shared responsibilities and assigned tasks for all key stakeholders which will be allocated through the National Technical Committee, which has been set up but at the end of the day, all reports and updates of progress will have to be submitted to the Local Government Ministry.

Major projects

The Minister said the major projects such as the rehabilitation of the Le Repentir Cemetery, reactivation of kokers and the desilting of drains will be done by professional contractors, while the committee will be looking to engage the private sector, communities, non-profit organisations, youth ministries and even the prison inmates to assist in carrying out the other activities, such as the clearing of alleyways, parapets, cleaning of small drains, planting of trees to reduce erosion and flooding, among others.

“We want this to be not just a community effort, but also a country effort. We are trying to rebuild Guyana and so we are looking to have everyone involved. If youth organisations and the communities can become involved, they can utilise their time in a constructive manner while earning some amount of money. So we are looking to the civil society; to the youth organisations to assist us in the community projects. They can help in the community work while we are looking to have the inmates from the Camp Street Prison look after the de-bushing of the Le Repentir Cemetery and other places in such condition,” the Minister reiterated.

The Georgetown Mayor and City Council will also see their machineries such as their trucks and excavators being repaired and serviced under the project so that those too can be used in the initiative.

To secure the help of the communities, the Minister and his team, along with the committee will be embarking on several public consultations in the coming weeks. At these consultations, Whittaker is aiming to educate and sensitise the public on the national campaign, while seeking to solicit their help in the cleaning and rehabilitation efforts.

The first consultation is expected to be held on June 19 in Campbellville, while the second will be held in Albouystown on June 20.