The Stabroek Market will soon see major upgrades to the facility, including a clean-up exercise which is slated for March 26.
This is a part of the government’s efforts in positioning the popular vending hub into an area propitious for conducting business.
During a recent visit to the Stabroek Market on Wednesday, Local Government and Regional Development Minister, Nigel Dharamlall inspected the facility and engaged with several vendors who shared their concerns.
Following the exercise, the Minister initiated a plan to bring immediate relief to vendors.
Enhancement works to the market will include repairs to the roof of the fish bay area and to the restroom facilities, desilting of the drains in the market, and excavating outlets currently clogged with garbage, among other undertakings.
Owner of Richard and Sharon Fashion Fabric, Richard Basdeo, 52, expressed grievances regarding the sanitation of the market.
According to Basdeo, “The biggest issue is the flooding of the market when the water is coming up and nobody comes to check it out. The gutters need to clean. City Hall not doing anything, they not cleaning the water, they’re not washing the market.”
Another stall owner, Omesh Dhanram, highlighted that only a few officers of the city constabulary are stationed outside the market, some distance away, despite the market being a potential hotspot for petty crimes.
“Security is a main thing. A lot of people are scared to come to Stabroek Market…. We all (vendors) pay rent… If we had to come together independently and pay for security, we wouldn’t mind that. But we are not getting cooperation from the city council on anything else,” Dhanram stated.
Minister Dharamlall revealed that very shortly, he will speak to the city engineer and the solid waste management team, to see how best they can remove the garbage that is blocking quite a few of the areas, especially the hydrant points in the market.
“We have to provide better conditions. As part of the grant the government gives to the city council, I am going to speak to the council to ensure that some of those resources are placed within Stabroek Market,” he committed.
Similarly, the security of the market will also remain a paramount focus of the Local Government Ministry as more solutions will be discussed.
“So, there are many things that we need to work on, and over the next few weeks I want to assure the vendors, as well as the shoppers in Stabroek Market that the central government will do part of the heavy lifting, and also, we will have to impose some of our work ethic onto the city council so that they can come and also be part of this enhancement that we have to do in Stabroek Market,” Minister Dharamlall said.
He also committed to seeking the redeployment of more constabulary officers to bolster the five-man team that is currently placed at the market.
Moreover, the Minister is looking to re-establish the vendors’ committee to improve representation, as well as implement daily garbage removal, and policies to strengthen facility management. Heavy focus will also be placed on the improvement of the facilities at the fisheries since raw fish is a highly perishable product.
