SOME $100M of the $1B that was set aside in the 2014 national budget for the ‘Clean up Guyana’ project will be spent on restoration works in Le Repentir Cemetery in Georgetown.
Minister of Local Government and Regional Development Norman Whittaker made the announcement Monday when he hosted a press conference at the ministry, Fort Street, Kingston, in the presence of Permanent Secretary Collin Croal.
Some of the major activities to be undertaken include the desilting of main and internal drains, road works, and repairs to kokers. These works will be opened to a public tendering process, and advertisements for this will commence this week.
The de-bushing in the cemetery will be done by inmates of the Georgetown Prisons, Whittaker said.
Meanwhile, residents as well as those in the political arena continue to bemoan the state of this cemetery, putting Mayor Hamilton Green in the spotlight over the failures of City Hall that have led to the cemetery’s current dilapidation.
General Secretary of the People’s Progressive Party (PPP), Clement Rohee had in the past said the cemetery has degenerated into a “mini-jungle” and Public Works Minister Robeson Benn had declared it a “national embarrassment.”
Several residents who have spoken to the Guyana Chronicle contended that Le Repentir Cemetery is now a dumping area for garbage, amidst the overgrown grass and trees, and a breeding ground for reptiles; all of which constitute an eyesore that prevents loved ones from having a decent and respectful burial.
(By Telesha Ramnarine)