… leaking roof affect sellers
…wharf rehabilitation still pending
A section of the wharf which was destroyed by fire
It has been more than half a year since the Stabroek Market Wharf was cordoned off for commencement of much needed rehabilitation works, and numerous other problems have since arisen on its main edifice, including leaks during the rainy periods that affect a number of vendors.
A group of merchants have voiced their concerns to Guyana Times in light of the onset of the current rainy season, wherein several damages have been caused.
Fazir (only name provided) explained that while works were done externally to give the market a facelift, the internal facilities are somewhat worrying.
Heavy rainfall over the past few days has resulted in leakages from the roof, and dry goods and clothes from neighbouring stalls have been damaged. Fazir explained that this is usually the norm, and merchants are forced to operate in an uncomfortable environment.
“The outside of the market look nice, but when you come in here on a rainy day and see what we paying for, you would be surprised. From the night before, we got to set a bucket and look after if rain might fall. This market is in a bad shape, and it’s not nice to be selling here in this condition,” he declared.
He added, “I get goods that, if water touch it, I will suffer the loss. City Council won’t come and reimburse nobody. Then other people get clothes that could wet. They can’t display the clothes, cause the roof leaking bad.”
Fazir said that, along with this dilemma, the electricity and water supply is unreliable.
“The electrical setup is a hazard. If the lights not blinking, it not working. Sometimes it don’t come on, or we get blackout and we got to wait for hours…sometimes days,” he disclosed.
Meanwhile, another vendor pointed out that he markets vegetables in close proximity to the wharf, and the downpours have severely affected his business.
It is the same situation for persons at the Stabroek Bazaar, which reportedly is often flooded.
Wharf
Meanwhile, six months after 70 persons were vacated to rehabilitate the Stabroek Wharf, works are yet to commence. Vendors are fearful that the structure might collapse.
A recent visit to the wharf saw many vagrants occupying the uninhabited stalls, while the floor was thatched together with loose wood.
One individual whose stall was closed said he had moved over to the Route 42 bus park with expectation that the wharf would be fixed soon enough. However, the delay in effecting those works has caused him much worry.
“I want go back at the wharf. All of we waiting, and we ain’t seeing nothing happening. If they leff it like this and a couple more months pass, it gon fall down…that gon affect the front side of the building, and then is a bigger problem,” he said as he gestured.
Last November, a fire suspected to be arson destroyed a section of the structure. Since beginning of June 2016, former Town Clerk Royston King had announced that works would commence on the structure after Council had received word from the Public Infrastructure Ministry to go ahead with the project.
He had said that the budget for the complete refurbishment of the Wharf has been pegged at some $400 million. After the wharf has been rehabilitated, he had disclosed, the section of the market which faces the Demerara River would be converted into a mall that includes a boardwalk and entertainment areas.
The plans concerning the wharf had been met with approval from the vendors, and they were informed that they would be required to pay a larger sum to rent spaces on the new structure. But after more than three years, those works have not been undertaken.
