Conditions at Bourda Market deplorable – vendors

Vendors at Bourda Market are continuing their cry for better sanitary conditions at the facility.
When Guyana Times visited the area yesterday, vendors voiced concerns over poor security and lack of sanitation within the market.
Retailers at the Market were all eager to relay their daily experiences there with regards to security and sanitation. One clothes merchant pointed out that though there had been an increase of constables who peruse the area every other day, no proper means of security was made available since a recent robbery in February. ‘’Sometimes you see dem, sometimes you don’t see dem, sometimes you see none at all. Ah tellin you the truth’’, she remarked.

The merchant recommended that constables be more within the market since they are almost always outside. ‘If something happening and you see a constable standing there, you can just give he a tip off and seh well look certain things going on at ‘X’ point. But nobody aint deh here. If I see a man fetch way something here, who I gon run to? Who I gon call? There’s nobody here’, she said
In reference to sanitation, vendors indicated that garbage would sometimes be in the area for three or four days continuously. “Sometime they clean, sometime they don’t.’’ One angry vendor informed this publication that sewage flow into the drains where stalls are set up. “It does seep in the stalls when de wata raise, and this filth smelling. It does looking like greenish-yellowish. Now is black.’’
When asked how often the market is cleaned, sellers indicated that the maintenance personnel would pick up garbage bags every morning but not much was done for the other areas that needed cleaning. “The market always stink, the cleaners does only pick up the garbage bags and go’’, said one affected vendor. “This market really need washing down.’’
Other vendors highlighted that the market has had leaky roofs for quite some time and there is no proper means of lighting at the back area. They said even though complaints are made on numerous occasions, nothing is being done to rectify the conditions.