Region Two Chairman, Devanand Ramdatt, is calling on the Public Infrastructure Ministry to give careful attention to the Charity Marketing Centre and wharf, which he has said is on the verge of collapsing.
The slanted section of the wharf
The chairman says the structure has become obsolete, and now poses major threats to those vending there.
Speaking to media operatives during a press conference on Friday, Ramdatt said Region Two does not have sufficient funds to conduct rehabilitative works on the structures, and is seeking the intervention of the Public Infrastructure Ministry (MPI).
According to Ramdatt, since last year August, the region had communicated with the MPI about the structures and the urgency for remedial work to be conducted thereon. At the moment, the greenheart pillars supporting the wharf are rotten and shaking. Alarmingly, despite repeatedly being cautioned, persons continue to vend on the wharf.
Rotten pillars at the wharf
Ramdatt said a report presented by the engineer of the Public Infrastructure Ministry at the recent Works Committee meeting revealed that the wharf had sunk six inches into the water, and the Marketing Centre itself was cracked in numerous places. Further, most of the piles beneath the wharf were determined to be no longer able to support the structure.
The solid concrete wharf is thus sitting precariously on a few remaining piles, and the prognosis is that it would likely collapse.
Ramdatt revealed that at the last statutory meeting of the Region Two Democratic Council (RDC), the task was given to the acting clerk, Roop Kumar Persaud, to convene a meeting with those vending on the wharf to inform them of the jeopardy they face, because the deteriorating condition of the structure poses a threat to those traversing it. The structure is 32 years old, and requires urgent attention. Over 30 persons utilize the structure for vending.
“We have gotten reports that heavy-duty trucks are driving on top the structure. The structure, as it is, cannot withstand weight, and it can very well collapse. We have been educating persons about this, but still reports indicate persons are driving on it in the nights,” Ramdatt explained.
Interviewed, vendors say they accept the decision to move, but they questioned where the NDC would put them, since where they vend attracts sales. Many vendors, declaring that they depend on vending to support their families, have called on the relevant authorities to take that into consideration.
Guyana Times understands that the Charity/Urasara NDC has placed bars in an effort to block vehicles from traversing the wharf. To date, the NDC is still to issue notices to vendors to stop vending at the Marketing Centre. (Indrawattie Natram)
