News

The Le Repentir Cemetery has been the final resting place for citizens of Georgetown over the years the massive facility encompasses some 103.508 acres. It was first established in 1861 and is the largest municipal burial site in Guyana. 

The Council created its final draft report of the Le Repentir Cemetery Expansion Master Plan in March 2019 which highlighted the need for a re-envisioned burial site which would be elevated to the status of a national memorial.

As Georgetown continues to develop we must re-examine the Le Repentir with the focus of it not only being a final resting place for our loved ones but also providing additional transportation connection routes through the cemetery. 

In the Council’s plan, enhanced revetment works will prevent the further degradation of the land which has resulted in tombs falling into the canals and others laying precariously. This will also upgrade the drainage infrastructure of the cemetery which will assist in providing relief for the surrounding areas. Space for benches and lighting to allow comfortable viewing and reflection is also allocated to add to the beautification effort. 

The redevelopment of Le Repentir will significantly contribute to the outlook of the city in a demonstration of the dignity with which our departed are treated rather than the current overgrown grounds which are rapidly running out of space. Without immediate intervention, the challenge of space and accessibility will force the suspension of burials at the cemetery.  

As we commemorate the Enmore Martyrs’ who are buried in the Le Repentir and noting the elevation of the burial site of Dr Walter Rodney to the status of a National Monument this is an opportune time to address the challenges of maintenance of the Cemetery.  

The Council remains willing to work with all stakeholders to develop by-laws and policies to promote the maintenance of the scenic beauty of a redeveloped Le Repentir. These policies will include the regularizing of headstones and memorials at grave sites to promote uniformity and maximize the use of space. 

Read more https://mccgt.com/documents/mcc-le-repentir-re-development-master-plan/

City Hall, Georgetown | Prime Minister Brig (r’td) Mark Phillips in his engagement with the Municipality indicated that the City must use whatever authority it has to force contractors and agencies to comply with the city by-laws. 

These remarks were made following the briefing received from His Worship the Mayor and Deputy Mayor Alfred Mentore who bemoaned the construction of drains and revetment work without consultation with the City Engineer’s department. 

Deputy Mayor Alfred Mentore stated that the officers of the Council are placed in a predicament when the Council makes its decisions, but they are called directly by state officials to act counter to those decisions. This is made worse by the Local Government Commission which has failed to act on the decisions of the Council to discipline officers.

Mayor Ubraj Narine highlighted the work on Vlissingen Road next to the Guyana Defence Force Base, an area that has technical challenges due to the pump station being located nearby. He stated that the drains being constructed are narrower than what existed, and no consultation was done with the Council on the construction. 

His Worship also highlighted the work being done on Camp Street in front of GRA which has already shown signs of compromising the surrounding drains.   

The Mayor stated that the Council is not anti-development but promotes collaboration to ensure all stakeholders are involved to avoid unnecessary inconveniences to the citizens of Georgetown. 

It was only recently that the Central Housing and Planning Authority indicated that it depends on the City Engineer’s department to approve plans before making its decisions and encouraged the department to ensure that all plans satisfy the Municipal requirements before forwarding them to the CHPA.

City Hall, Georgetown | His Worship Pt Ubraj Narine indicated that he welcomes the offer by Prime Minister Brig (r’td) Mark Phillips to have a joint venture on Camp Street from Middle to Lamaha. 

His Worship praised the Prime Minister and stated that this was the relationship that he has advocated for with all Governments. 

The Mayor today updated the Prime Minister on some of the challenges that the Municipality faces with resources. He stated that Government and the Municipality can work together for the benefit of the citizens of Georgetown.

Under the APNUAFC administration, the Government and the City Council collaborated significantly which saw the cleaning of drains and repairs to roads being done in all constituencies of Georgetown. These works coupled with an annual subvention of over 300 million dollars directly impacted the citizens. The Council was able to purchase garbage trucks to assist in garbage collection and other heavy equipment to serve citizens resulting in a cleaner Georgetown. 

The current PPP administration unfortunately has reduced the annual subvention to 30 million dollars which has strangled the Municipality. Additionally, the Local Government Commission continues to move slothfully and stymie the work of the Council.  

Mayor Narine stated that he hoped this demonstration will help to thaw the ice that exists between the Government and the Municipality and promote greater collaboration to truly realize “One Guyana” regardless of political affiliation, race or gender.