Agriculture Minister Zulfikar Mustapha yesterday accused the Georgetown Mayor and City Council of neglecting its responsibilities in ensuring that operators at drainage infrastructure across the city are always on duty.
The accusation comes on the heels of reports to the Minister that sluices and pumps in the city were not being manned and were inoperable.
“We’ve seen on numerous occasions, moreso during the rainy seasons, the ineffective management of many of these pumps and sluices by the M&CC. Today I received reports that the sluices at Ruimveldt south, La Penitence south, and Cowan Street in Kingston were not open. Also, the pumps at Cowan Street and Lamaha Street were not on even though the sluice was not open. There were no operators around. The pump at Ruimveldt south had to be turned on since the sluice operator was not there,” Mustapha yesterday said in a statement.
The Liliendaal pumps the minister said were not on and the gate was locked making it difficult for the engineers to determine if an operator was present.
“The people at the City Council like to make excuses about fuel but the person responsible for delivering the fuel was on site and no one was there at the pumps at Cowan Street and Lamaha Street,” the minister said.
Mayor Ubraj Narine, when contacted last night, told Stabroek News that he would not refute the minister’s comments and from his preliminary investigation the allegations have merit.
Narine stated that the council has tirelessly complained about the City Engineer Colvern Venture’s lack of competence and ability to manage his department effectively. The sluice and pump operators employed by the City Council fall under the City Engineer’s Department.
The Mayor went on to state that his council took a decision six months ago to terminate the services of the City Engineer and have him replaced with someone who is effective.
However, that decision is still awaiting the attention of the Local Government Commission (LGC).
“I am not taking any blame it is up to the LGC they have to deal with this matter and I have told the government that and the Prime Minister onto yesterday afternoon. We the council do not have any confidence in the City Engineer. It is not just the issue with operators at the pump but there are other issues,” Narine emphasised.
According to the Mayor, at a meeting called with the City Engineer’s Department yesterday Venture was unable to provide any answers.
He, nonetheless promised the Mayor a report to state whether the allegations are true.
Mustapha lamented yesterday that while residents of Georgetown continue to fall victim to instances of flooding during heavy rainfall, the time it takes for those floodwaters to recede is often a result of the ineffective management of the City’s pumps and sluices which he noted fall under the control of the M&CC.
“Although we monitor these structures, the M&CC is the body in charge of ensuring these structures function effectively. Time and time again we are seeing that this is not the case. It is a shame that in the height of the rainy season, despite the numerous calls made by the government on several occasions, the M&CC continues to operate in such a manner. This blatant neglect is becoming a pattern and it is time for people living in Georgetown who continue to be affected by flooding when these structures are not managed effectively to hold the relevant authorities at the M&CC accountable,” the minister said.
