Financial strain at the Georgetown Mayor and City Council (M&CC) has once again forced principle collectors, Puran Brothers and Cevons Waste Management, to withdraw their disposal services from Monday next.
This was revealed by City Hall on Thursday, which in a statement explained that “…because of a serious financial shortfall, the Council is unable to honour its obligation to both contractors in a timely manner, a situation which the Council regrets.”
However, five of the small garbage contractors have since expressed willingness to work with the Council from Monday, November 26, to carry out the collection services. As such, the Council is scheduled to meet with these small contractors today to concretise the details of the agreement.
According to the governing body in the Capital City, it expends approximately $30 million monthly for the removal of waste from the Georgetown environs. This solid waste management bill, it added, accounts for 38 per cent of the Council’s monthly income, which is some $89 million.
To this end, the M&CC said that moving forward next year, it will have to reassess how it manages waste collection in the City.
Last month, both Puran Brothers and Cevons Waste Management had said that they were owed some $150 million by City Hall. This debt was said to have been outstanding since the second quarter of 2018.
Puran Brothers Disposal Service is owed $73 million, while Cevons Waste Disposal is owed $75 million. At that time, the two entities had been contemplating pulling their services, since there was “no positive outcome” to their meetings with City Hall.
It was also indicated that the two entities had been engaged by the Council on several occasions, but there weren’t any discussions on how their payments would be made.
With the holiday season’s increased operational costs impending, there will be a steep escalation in the losses suffered by these entities as well.
