Reconstruction of the Stabroek Market Wharf, which has been in a deplorable state for quite some time is yet to begin.
A burnt section of the Stabroek Market Wharf
The wharf, which has been in a deplorable state for many years, was cordoned off last year to facilitate rehabilitative works but no work commenced. On November 20, 2018, stall holders who were still operating at the wharf were forced to evacuate as the facility caught fire.
When contacted on Monday about the delays of the rehabilitation project, Public Infrastructure Minister, David Patterson in a brief interview with this publication revealed that the project has already been tendered which will see works beginning later this year.
“The contract for the design and the redesign of it has been awarded. It’s under the PPP and the UK funding. I can’t recall who won it but the design is being done as we speak. If all goes well I would expect work to begin sometime this year but it has been awarded since last year so sometime this year we will expect work to begin,” he said.
Several vendors were moved to tears in September 2018 as they were greeted by City Hall workers barricading the area. The vendors were later relocated to the route 42 Grove/Diamond minibus park where they have been functioning since earlier this year.
Some of the stalls which remained unopened on Monday morning
The Council had decided at a previous statutory meeting that the vendors would have to construct their own stalls as one would cost $400,000.
Former Town Clerk, Royston King had told the media that those vendors will have to spend at least two years on the bus park before the rehabilitative works at the wharf are completed.
Unfeasible
Meanwhile, scores of vendors who are now plying their trades at the route 42 bus park are calling for the waterfront to be rehabilitated as soon as possible, since sales are plummeting.
Speaking with Guyana Times on Monday, one vendor, Yvonne Smith said she was retailing goods at the wharf prior to the move initiated by the Georgetown Mayor and City Council.
However, since the completion of the brand-new stalls, there has been a scanty population of persons who have opened their businesses. This is because of the downward spiralling of their livelihoods due to the lack of market for the goods and persons preferring to go elsewhere at the market square to purchase items.
“They killing we here. I used to sell at the back by the wharf and we used to do good and now people stop coming as much as they used to. We come out here and not only the sales bad, but it get other things that we worried about,” said Smith.
Her other worries referred to the state of the surroundings, which is not in keeping with that of a marketplace. Some persons were paying people to remove the garbage but it is being dumped in close proximity to the area. Adding to that, they are cleaning these environs without any water supply.
“The condition of the market here is really rough. It is dirty and people sleeping here. They pay people to move the garbage and they bring it right back here. There’s no water around. We don’t have any water to wash around before we start selling so we have to pay people to bring couple buckets with water so that we can make the place look good,” Smith stated.
According to Smith, the other vendors and herself were making better profits at the wharf when compared to the new location. She believes it is too clustered and many persons are not willing to enter the area.
“Just a few of us come out here but now we thinking that the wharf was better and they should try to fix it because nothing is doing over there. They tell us we might be here for two year but almost a year up and nothing is being done.”
Since June of 2016, it was reported that former Town Clerk Royston King had declared the commencement of works at the wharf.
At that time, the budget for the complete refurbishing of the wharf was pegged at some $400 million. Over the years, over 300 merchants were situated at the wharf but this number has been reduced to just over 80.
