…M&CC breaching contract, will be forced to take action – Hareshnarine Sugrim
The Mayor and City Council (M&CC) is breaching its verbal contract with Hareshnarine “Chiney” Sugrim, the owner of the plot of land opposite Parliament Building, who granted permission to the Council to house vendors temporarily, since last year May, and he intends to take action against the Council.
Speaking to Guyana Times on Thursday, Sugrim explained that the first
While it is business as usual for many, some stalls located at Parliament View Mall are being dismantled
agreement with the M&CC was that the vendors – who were removed from the Stabroek Market Square – be allowed to ply their trade on the plot of land until August of 2016, giving the M&CC enough time to find a permanent location for the vendors.
However, by August, a solution had not yet been arrived at, and as such, Sugrim stated that he had a verbal agreement with the Mayor of Georgetown, Patricia Chase-Green, that he would allow the vendors to stay no later than December 31, 2016.
“We give them further stay without documentation, a verbal agreement, until December 31. Time gone, they supposed to move!” Sugrim asserted.
According to the businessman, the M&CC has been utilising his plot of land, now known as the Parliament View Mall, and have not been asked “to pay a dime.”
He stated that now that he has plans for the property, he has to put them off to facilitate the vendors.
His plans, he said, includes the construction of a seven storied parking lot with a food court on the ground floor. “We want to build a seven storied car park right there. They [M&CC] humbugging the development!”
Sugrim further disclosed that he spoke to Chase-Green some days ago, and she informed him that arrangements are being made to remove the vendors.
However, the irate man told this publication that if the vendors are not removed by the end of this week, he intends to begin construction, even with the merchants there.
“We appealing to them to move. We will start making a fence and block up the vendors in there if they don’t move. We giving them until the end of this week,” Sugrim asserted.
As Guyana’s Jubilee anniversary approached last year, the M&CC initiated a “clean-up” campaign around the Stabroek Market Square. This included removing vendors from their location as well as many minibuses from their parking lots.
After being displaced and unable to ply their trade, many complaints arose from the vendors, which resulted in an agreement being made with Sugrim to loan the Council his plot of land to allow the vendors to ply their trade until the M&CC could finalise a permanent location for their relocation.
As the deadline for their stay on the plot of land closed in, an extension was granted in August of last year for the vendors to continue to vend on the land until December 31, 2016.
However, the time has expired and neither the Mayor nor the Town Clerk has made them self available to this media entity for questioning regarding the identification and selection of the new location for the vendors.
Guyana Times however managed to secure an interview with the Chairman of the Market Committee and future Deputy Mayor, Lionel Jaikarran earlier this week.
Alternative locations
According to Jaikarran, three areas were suggested to the M&CC in late October to early November last year, and since then no discussion has been made as to which location was selected for the permanent placement of the vendors.
The locations suggested were the old Ferry Stelling, near the Stabroek Market area, Stelling View Mall, known as “Donkey City” and the parking lot of the Ministry of Social Protection.
