Clarke: Clean-up campaign not on Toni Moore’s behalf

A major national drive is underway to beautify several areas around the island currently with bush overgrowth. And Government officials say the start-up in St George North has not been brought about by the imminent by-election.

This week representatives from the National Conservation Commission (NCC), Sanitation Service Authority (SSA), including Minister of the Environment and National Beautification Adrian Forde and former minister Gline Clarke, officially launched the Clean and Green National Campaign at Flat Rock, St. George.

Clarke, the former representative for St. George North, sought to squash criticism circulating that the project was a political stunt organized to help his would-be successor Toni Moore, in her upcoming by-election campaign. According to Clarke, not only did the clean-up have nothing to do with the by-election, but it was in the planning stages for well over a decade ago before the previous administration in government took to power.

“I want to say from the outset that this project was started since 2006, when this land was given to us by the Barbados Farms Limited. It was given to the Crown, underneath my watch. I remember going to the Barbados Farms Limited at the time, and those persons readily accepted the fact that this wooded area should be given to the people of Locust Hall and Flat Rock,” Clarke revealed.

The initiative, according to Forde, was simply intended to make Barbados one of the cleanest countries this side of the world.

“The idea is to clean, because we believe that Barbados must be a clean place. It must be the cleanest place in the western hemisphere, and that is the firm commitment of the Prime Minister. We are going to clean this country. At the same time, we are going to beautify, there is where the NCC and the [million] tree planting project come into play. We believe in not only cleaning, but we have to keep Barbados beautiful,” Forde explained.

Public Relations Officer of the SSA, Carl Padmore, was also on hand during Monday’s launch and promised that the SSA would not only deliver timely service to the area, but would also launch an initiative of their own.

“This area is beautiful, and we believe that one, we have to de-bush it, two, we have to turn it into something useful. The SSA has been working assiduously to remove bulk waste that we would see here, additionally green waste, because people would come and leave with their garden waste and place it here. We want to support the sentiments of the Minister and say that act must stop. We give the residents of St. George North the assurance that we will continue to give them adequate service. Shortly we will be rolling out a schedule that you will know the exact day that you will get your pick up and by next week you will know of our active hotline, where the residents of Barbados can call in, and within 24 hrs, your issues addressed,” Padmore said. (SB)