City ordered to submit cleansing plan today, Mentore fires back at PPPC govt

Last Updated on Monday, 19 January 2026, 18:07 by Writer

As numerous bins of garbage overflow into nearby drains especially in commercial Georgetown, local government minister Priya Manickchand has given Mayor Alfred Mentore and several councillors until 11 a.m. on Monday to come up with a cleansing programme for the city.

After a meeting on Sunday afternoon, she said on Facebook, they are to report to her on Monday “their plan for effective change”.

The minister expressed disgust at the state of the capital where many drains, trenches and alleyways are clogged with solid waste of all types ranging from refrigerators to food boxes.

“What currently obtains is wholly unacceptable. Sanitation services, solid waste disposal, garbage collection etc must be reliable, predictable and effective. Or they are wasting time, failing to serve the residents of Georgetown and denying the residents of the city, and those who visit, their due entitlement to a city that is clean and habitable.,” she said after the meeting that included the chief sanitation officers.

In downtown Georgetown, many large blue garbage receptacles that were recently donated by the local government ministry were on Sunday afternoon filled to capacity and, in a few instances, were overflowing into the drains. Many city drains are silted and choked with plastics, plastic bottles and other solid waste, indicators that they have not been cleaned in months. Vendors have placed wooden pallets and other coverings over drains, making them almost impossible to clean.

Along Main Street, on which the official residences of the Prime Minister and President are located, many of the bins were up to Sunday not cleared. The drains around the avenues of Main Street and Camp Street also overflow making entry and exit impossible and forcing pedestrians to compete with vehicles on the already congested and dangerous roads. Street dwellers also rummage through garbage receptacles or dispose of food boxes and cups.

But Mayor Mentore blamed the condition of the city on central government, raising the possibility that the contracted garbage collection companies were aligned to the ruling People’s Progressive Party Civic and were part of a conspiracy to make Georgetown look dirty.

“I sincerely hope that the perceived inefficiencies in service delivery are not deliberate or designed to embarrass the Georgetown Mayor and City Council,” he said.

The Georgetown City Council comprises the majority People’s National Congress Reform-backed A Partnership for National Unity (APNU).

Mr Mentore also accused the central government of putting stumbling blocks in the way of the Georgetown City Council to raise money and enforce litter laws. He said those political and administrative constraints represent a significant barrier to the very improvements now being publicly demanded. “The same Central government of which the Hon. Minister is a senior member, continues to undermine the City Council’s capacity to function effectively by obstructing our ability to collect taxes, levy fines, and enforce litter and sanitation laws.

The Chief Citizen stopped short of accusing the minister of politicking to score points for upcoming local government election rather than being genuinely concerned about the state of the capital city. “The current subjective posture appears less about constructive collaboration and more about early local government electioneering, cloaked in expressions of concern for the citizens of Georgetown,” he said.

Mr Mentore recommended that President Irfaan Ali get involved in the conversation on the state of Georgetown. “As he is tasked with the overarching responsibility for this sovereign nation, I do believe his intervention is likely to allow for good sense to prevail.”

The Mayor sought to assure Guyanese that he wants to see improvements in Georgetown. “I share the dissatisfaction regarding the pace of work improvement and have consistently raised these concerns at successive statutory meetings of the City Council. I remain fully committed to restoring Georgetown’s well-earned reputation as the Garden City.”