The Ministry of Rural Development and Local Government (RDLG) has responded to recent reports circulating about protests by drivers assigned to the Siparia Borough Corporation (SBC) due to alleged delays in the allocation of funds for the purchase of diesel.

According to the RDLG, the report stated that Mayor Doodnath Mayrhoo confirmed that the drivers of these vehicles were unable to execute their duties this morning due to a shortage of diesel for the vehicles.

RDLG seeks to provide clarification and set the record straight with the following facts:

1. Presently, SBC’s main bank account holds a balance of over $11M. This has been the case for the entire period of relevance.

2. As per contributions in the debate on the National Budget, it is not uncommon for releases under specific heads to be unpaid. In such circumstances, Councils can vire monies for use with approval. This is so for expenses required under the Maintenance of Vehicles votes.

3. SBC in fact, has an outstanding amount of $121,992.41 owed to the selected service provider for diesel, covering the period September to November, 2023.

4. Long before the announcement of the Mayor of the SBC, the Council was informed by its CEO that their current balance could in fact be used to address the outstanding payment.

5. The Council unfortunately did not approve the use of these funds for the payment of $121,992.41 to the service provider, when they could easily have done so.

6. Further, the Council was advised that once the releases for specific heads are received, that funds would be replaced in the bank.

The Ministry urges the Council to take steps in the best interest of their burgesses as they have more than adequate resources and money available to them. All other Councils and practitioners in Local Government are aware of the easy processes available to treat with payments.