City garbage contractors demanding cash for collection

- councillors

Some garbage collectors have been demanding money from residents for collection and city councillors yesterday urged swift action to clamp down on the situation.

At the Mayor and City Council’s statutory meeting at City Hall yesterday, PPP Councillor Kamla Devi-Ross said she personally witnessed the act by the contractors, who on Saturday last, at Fifth Street, Alberttown, asked to be paid before handling the residents’ garbage. According to Ross, who lives at Forshaw Street, Queenstown, a short distance from Fifth Street, she heard of what was happening some time between 9.30 am and 10 am on Saturday and went to see what the commotion was about.

“I ask the driver where is he assigned to and he said Quamina Street. When I ask he what he doing here, he start to give me all kind of flimsy excuse,” the councillor recalled, noting that on that very day, another one of council’s compactors was seen “roaming” in Queenstown.

“I ask Mr [Director of Solid Waste Management Hubert] Urling this morning if any of the trucks working and he said no, that the vehicles break down and when I confront him about what I saw happening on Saturday, he couldn’t say anything,” Ross stated.

Councillor Florence Bourne supported Ross’s statement, adding that contractors visited her North East La Penitence home demanding money as well.

Georgetown Mayor Hamilton Green suggested that calls should be forwarded to him, the Deputy Mayor Patricia Chase-Green or Urling, in such instances, so that swift action can be taken. “I would like to urge councillors to let us know as quickly as possible… if Mr Urling doesn’t know about the disposition of vehicle, then he must be disciplined,” the Mayor stated.

Urling admitted to being made aware of Saturday’s incident and questioned why he was not notified immediately. He explained that out of the council’s eight trucks, only two are functional. According to him, some residents are in the habit of giving the workmen “a raise.”

Chase-Green pointed out that giving and demanding are two different terms, while the Mayor noted that based on the accounts of Ross and Bourne, the money given to contractors was not voluntary but was as a result of a demand.

Urling, who said he had a point to make, added that many residents would not usually bring their garbage receptacles out of the yard as they are expected to and as an enticement for the contractor to perform this extra duty, they would pay them to do so.

“This matter is closed. I repeat, there’s a difference between giving and demanding,” the Mayor, however, said.

Councillor Ranwell Jordan stated that there has been a build-up of garbage in front of the Stabroek Market and also in front of the Fire Service, which has been dubbed ‘Old Donkey City.’

Urling stated that the garbage is there simply because persons dump it in the area. He explained that it has not been removed because of the difficulty the department has been experiencing with the availability of vehicles.

“The trucks can’t be everywhere picking up garbage. We have to work with what equipment we have available and what human resources we have to do the job,” he said.

Jordan, while noting Urling’s explanation, pointed out that no arrests have been made of persons found guilty of this act. “I am sure that not one arrest has been made for the amount of garbage dumped by unauthorised citizens. Nothing is being done,” he said.

Chase-Green posited that regardless of what difficulty, clearing garbage from the market areas and hospitals must be made a priority. “Garbage must be collected from the markets and hospitals. All officers may be on the boat of sabotage. They must want an outbreak,” the Deputy Mayor said.

She cited the contribution of four receptacles by a Georgetown businessman Pulcharran Sukhdeo, to be placed around the city. The man had made the containers at his welding shop and had told this newspaper that the total cost was $350,000.

“That man took time off to make four bins and provided them free of charge to this council and where are they? Sitting in the same spot where the man left them. No one cares! They should have already been placed out there in the public,” Chase-Green said.

‘Collapse’

Councillors also expressed concern about the failure on the part of the Town Clerk, Yonette Pluck-Cort who they say has not organised committee statutory meetings for some weeks and this may result in the “collapse of City Hall”.

“When will statutory meetings be called? They are not being called by the officer and cannot be called by the councillors. If there is no agenda, at least notify the Chairman of the committee,” Chase-Green, who is also the Chairman of the Social Development Committee, said.

Councillor Oscar Clarke said he is also concerned about this issue, since for the past few weeks the entirety of the council has not been seen.

“She (Town Clerk) said she is not feeling well and cannot come but yet when I came in, she was present in the compound and so was the treasurer but none of them can appear here. If they are not going to be available, this council should send them on leave because if they are sickly, they are not answerable and they are not performing their duties. The continued absence of these officers is tying up the work of this council and it cannot continue,” Clarke said.

Also sharing his view was Councillor Jordan, who explained that the council operates through its committees, which, after statutory meetings, bring back the reports for decisions to be made by the council.

“We have been in this council too long and will not allow the Town Clerk to defeat the work of the council. If the Town Clerk will deliberately frustrate our work, we need to recommend and take a decision. I want to suggest that this council take the decision to send these three officers on annual leave. [We] cannot have the business of this council be put off from one meeting to another,” Jordan stated.

Filling in for the Town Clerk was her Deputy, Sharon Harry, who said that council has specific dates for statutory meetings and if a meeting is not being held on that date, then confirmation is needed from the Town Clerk.

Jordan refuted the statement, pointing out that this is not only an issue within Chase-Green’s committee but his as well, the Personnel and Training Committee.

“This is the reason we are in this predicament because of dishonesty of officers. I wish I had a recorder,” the Deputy Mayor said as she made reference to Harry. The Deputy Town Clerk said she had no reason to lie.