The government is preparing to strengthen laws governing abandoned vehicles, scrap metal, and other derelict items left along public road reserves, as officials push for a faster, more enforceable system to clear hazards from Guyana’s streets.
President Dr. Irfaan Ali said he has directed Minister of Home Affairs Oneidge Walrond to urgently examine the current legal framework and recommend amendments that would allow for a more structured approach to removing vehicles and obstructions that have been left on roadways for extended periods.
The President disclosed the plan while delivering remarks at the opening of the Guyana Police Force Annual Officers’ Conference on Wednesday.
Under the system described, certified private companies would be authorised to identify, mark and eventually remove vehicles that remain abandoned on public roads.
The Head of State argued that the work should not fall primarily on the police, noting that law enforcement is not equipped to respond to every report of abandoned trucks, wrecks and scrap left in communities.
“The police don’t need to do it,” the President said, as he pointed to capacity constraints and competing demands on ranks.
He outlined a staged enforcement process: once a truck or vehicle is left stationary for more than three days, it would be marked. If it remains in the same location after two weeks, it would receive a second marking and a formal notice. If four weeks pass and the vehicle is still not moved, the authorised company will remove it and dispose of it, potentially by selling it as scrap metal.
Ali said the current situation has become unacceptable, with abandoned trucks, scrap, and other derelict materials blocking streets and posing dangers to road users and residents across multiple areas.
With limited manpower and growing responsibilities, the President said the government cannot continue assigning staff to address the same recurring problem, insisting that a more effective legal tool is needed to support safer public spaces.
He expects the necessary amendments to be drafted and introduced in the National Assembly, which would pave the way for quicker enforcement and clearer authority to remove obstructions.
The move comes as the Ministry of Public Works has been intensifying its own clean-up efforts in and around Georgetown in recent weeks, targeting derelict vehicles, containers and debris as part of a wider drive to improve public spaces.
Public Works Minister Juan Edghill has said the practice of leaving large trucks and obstructions along road reserves cannot be allowed to continue, warning that authorities may have to impound offending vehicles to proceed with works.
“The Government will have no choice but to impound these trucks and get on with its work… It’s a total disrespect to all the other people who are living in the neighbourhood,” Edghill stated.
