Georgetown: Taking steps to honour their corporate social responsibility, members of the business community recently met with Tourism Industry and Commerce Minister, Irfaan Ali as his Ministry unveiled their ‘Urban Beautification Plans’ for a section the City.
In his address to the gathering, which included his Worship the Mayor of Georgetown, Hamilton Green, Minister Ali pointed to the benefits of collaboration, made manifest in the success of the Parliament Square project.
“We have been successful in transforming the area on Brickdam, now known as Parliament Square. This was made possible through collaboration with the Private Sector, and forms part of the wider ‘Brickdam Renewal Plan’,” he explained.
According to the Minister, a similar such beautification and city enhancement project for the Tourism Ministry will bring with it a plethora of benefits for all involved, including the citizenry and the private sector.
Ali also pointed to similar such enhancement projects launched in various parts of the world which have transformed “depressed” areas into beautiful spaces.
He said, “This is an excellent opportunity for us to come together and take action. There is no denying the benefits of a beautification project. In Chile for example, a depressed area was transformed with a coat of paint and some flowers, this uplifted an entire area.”
Alluding to the Ministry’s contribution to the overall beautification effort, he revealed plans to erect a Waterfall directly in front of the South Road office, which will stretch to include paved walkways for pedestrians.
On this note Minister Ali called on the members of the business community to also consider partnership for this project and informed that the meeting was to be the first of many that will lead to the realization of the plan.
“This is the first of many meetings we plan to engage in, as we seek to garner feedback from all stakeholders and to form partnerships,” the Tourism Minister affirmed.
The Director of the Guyana Tourism Authority (GTA), Mr. Indranauth Haralsingh delivered a brief pictorial presentation which highlighted the current state of the environment with the city block, and included projected images of what the same area will look like once enhancement works were completed.
Along with a list of potential enhancement activities, he outlined the objectives of the project and pointed to the necessity of partnership if the initiative is to be sustainable and successful.
“This is a pilot initiative and we want to partner with you to do this,” Haralsingh declared.
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