[www.inewsguyana.com] – The Georgetown City Council is moving ahead with plans to displace some vendors at Bourda to facilitate the demolition of the Bedford building at Robb and Bourda streets.
According to a press statement, Town Clerk Royston King and Senior offices of Council met with a group of twenty vendors who ply their trade on Bourda Street, to inform them that they will have to be relocated to facilitate the demolition of the building.
“The Bedford building has been a state of disrepair for a number of years. The Council had issued a call for persons who have derelict structures to remove them; since they serve as a haven for criminal elements and persons of unsound mind. Also, these structures are an eye sore and pose a threat to the lives of the passers-by and occupiers of neighbouring buildings,” the release stated.
According to the statement, the Council’s position did not find favour with the vendors since it would affect their income, but the Town Clerk was staunch in his position.
He told the vendors that a responsible administration would not allow them to operate in an unsafe environment.
“We cannot allow you to operate in an environment that will compromise your safety and health,” King is quoted as saying.
The City Engineer, Colvern Venture noted that vending cannot be done at the location while demolition or construction is in process, since the owner would have to erect a fence or a proper hoard, which is standard operational procedure.
Two other locations have been identified in which the vendors can be accommodated to ply their trade.
I think that there is a lot of documents belonging to the Ministry of Education still lodged in this Building, and I would hope that the Ministry of Education would seek permission too have these documents checked before they are sent away and destroyed.