Bourda cemetery cleaned up

-Manickchand aiming to improve all public burial grounds

Minister of Local Government and Regional Development, Priya Manickchand, recently visited the ongoing restoration works at the Bourda Burial Ground on Regent Street.

A release from the ministry said that in recent days extensive work has been carried out to restore the cemetery, which had become heavily overgrown and inaccessible in several areas. The project includes the clearing of dense vegetation and accumulated debris, restoration of the perimeter fence, improvement of pathways, and general beautification.

Throughout the restoration process, the release said that special care was taken to ensure that graves and monuments are respected and protected.

During her visit, Manickchand noted that the transformation already taking place at the Bourda Burial Ground was significant.

“You couldn’t even see into the cemetery before because it was so taken over by bush and a jungle, really, in the city,” the Minister said.

She said that the initiative extends far beyond Bourda and forms part of a wider national effort to improve public burial grounds across Guyana.

“We’re not doing this only for Bourda. All across the country, we’re looking at cemeteries and burial grounds that have minimum standards,” she said.

Local Government Minister Priya Manickchand at the site of the works.

According to the Minister, those standards include regular maintenance, proper fencing, adequate washroom facilities, and creating an environment where people can comfortably visit and pay their respects.

“We want people to be able to go in and pay their respects to their loved ones and for these spaces to be pleasant and not carry with them more of the morose nature of death generally,” she explained.

Manickchand also underlined the distinction between public and private burial grounds, noting that while the Ministry is directly undertaking improvements to public cemeteries, it is also willing to share its proposed standards with owners and managers of private burial grounds, including churches and families.

“This is all part of the beautification and restoration of Guyana and our public spaces,” she said.