By LEANDRA ROLLE

Tribune Staff Reporter

lrolle@tribunemedia.net

THE Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources has partnered with the Ministry of Social Services to launch an extensive clean-up campaign as part of its efforts to beautify the country.

The rejuvenation project, said to be the brainchild of Prime Minister Phillip Davis, was announced by Environment and Natural Resources Minister Vaughn Miller in the House of Assembly yesterday.

He said the initiative will begin Monday and continue until next year in preparation for the country’s 50th independence anniversary celebrations.

Mr Miller also said the project is estimated to cost the government over $1.5m.

“Specific concentration will be placed on the island of New Providence and our major family of islands. The family of islands will be addressed in phase one. They are Andros, Bimini, Cat Island, Eleuthera, Exuma and Great Harbour Cay,” he said.

“Mr Deputy Speaker, this revolutionary programme is the brainchild of our leader and Prime Minister Phillip ‘Brave’ Davis, who has a deep concern for the plight of the average Bahamian, especially those who were born and reside in the inner city of Providence, as well as those living through our family of islands.

“Mr Deputy Speaker over the past three years, the Department of Environmental Health Services has made a herculean effort to improve the overall aesthetics throughout our island through a combination of ways.”

He said these include twice weekly garbage collection, weekly collection of waste, public education, community cleanups and the removal of derelict vehicles.

“However,” Mr Miller added, “the missing component in all of this is the (former) government’s neglect to convert the properties the department would’ve cleared into useful green spaces into community centres and inner-city housing complexes by identifying the owners with the view the building to acquiring these unoccupied lots.”

In New Providence, he said contracted workers will begin in Fox Hill and then move on to other communities like Free Town, Centreville, Englerston and Bain and Grant’s Town and Fort Charlotte.

He said officials will focus on the removal of derelict vehicles in these communities and also the acquisition of vacant properties for the erection of community centres and parks among other recreational facilities.

He continued: “Immediately following this exercise, the Ministry of Social Services with the Office of Urban Renewal Commission will move into the aforementioned constituencies with their teams, identifying from within those constituencies to carry out roadside cleaning - as well as to clean vacant lots as necessary and much more.

“As I mentioned, Bahamians should be aware that over the past three years, the Department of Environmental Health Services has moved over 8,500 derelict vehicles from communities throughout The Bahamas, and it’s estimated that the activities embarked for phase one of the project in New Providence alone, the cost over $1.1 million and for our Family Islands over $400,000.”

Other community upgrades will include enhanced street lighting, replacement of worn-out street signs and repairs to the water system.

Following Mr Miller’s contribution, Free National Movement Leader Michael Pintard asked who will be awarded the contracts and whether the contracts will go through a tender process.

In response, Minister Miller said: “Rest assured that whatever guidelines or regulations are in place, we will abide by that.”