‘No abandoning G/Town’ – Jagdeo says Gov’t spent over $20B in the city

Vice President Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo affirmed on Thursday that central government will do all it can to continue supporting the people of Georgetown, having spent over $20 billion on various projects already.

The city is managed by the Georgetown Mayor and City Council but Jagdeo accused the body of failing to do enough to cater to the needs of residents. In response, there have been complaints that the central government owes the council sizable sums.

But Jagdeo disagreed with those assertions and instead pointed out some of the areas the government has been spending heavily in. For example, he said more than $500 million is being spent to upgrade grounds across the city while $1 billion is being spent on drainage and irrigation.

“You can’t say we are starving the city, we are taking over (and) beautifying the city,” Jagdeo said during a People’s Progressive Party Civic (PPP/C) press conference.

Overall, he said, “We have spent over 20B in the city and it’s counting all the time.”

And later added, “We will continue to work to improve the lives of the people of Georgetown because we made a commitment to all people of Guyana.”

Aside from central government spending, Jagdeo complained that the City Council itself owes various bodies including the Ministry of Public Works, the National Insurance Scheme and the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA).

And he urged more people to scrutinise how the city’s funds are being managed.