Almost a year after the rehabilitation of the Kitty Market commenced, the Market Committee Chairman, Lionel Jaikaran, has revealed that the structure is to be completed by March.
The prolonged process of having the market restored however has left vendors who ply their trade there in a distressed state.
Guyana Times visited the area on Tuesday and vendors were visibly distressed
A part of the Kitty Market that is still under construction
over the prolonged period that the market has been under construction.
The vendors relayed that they were informed late last year that the scheduled date for completion, December 31, 2016, would not be met and now the project is scheduled to be completed in March.
Meanwhile, there were no workers on site at the time this publication visited the market.
The vendors who ply their trade near the location disclosed that work had been halted for the week. Broken blocks and stone were seen outside of the incomplete market structure.
This newspaper was told that materials for the restoration of the market were removed from the worksite. Moreover, upon inspection inside of the Market’s upper flat, beer bottles were littered across several rooms.
Restoration works on the Kitty Market began on February 12, 2016 and was supposed to be completed by May 26, 2016 for Guyana’s Jubilee Anniversary. However, City Hall could not provide funds for the continuation of repairs on the $240 million structure. As such, a new deadline was set –November 2016, but this was not met.
Vendors, who ply their trade near the market, are still obligated to pay their monthly rents for the space in the business structure, even though they have not been occupying that area for almost a year now.
