Dear Editor,
Accompanied by officers of the City Constabulary, the City Engineers Department and the Clerk of Markets, I visited the Stabroek Market area on Tuesday and was saddened by the general environment, worsened by complaints from several quarters, all of which point to the congestion of the area outside of the Stabroek Market.
The state has stubbornly refused to discuss with the municipality the implementation of aspects of the Georgetown Development Plan 2001-2010, which cost millions of dollars to prepare, a plan which the cabinet after certain adjustments, endorsed and certified for implementation. This was seven years ago.
Instead of following a well-prepared plan to relieve the congestion of this area, we saw a minister of the government pounce on the Stabroek Market vehicle park without consultation with the Georgetown municipality, arbitrarily put minibuses to occupy that area, which the Georgetown municipality had used as a paid parking facility for over seventeen years.
The result is that these very minibuses utilizing the car park now complain that they are being muscled in an area called the ‘hotplate’ putting them at a disadvantage. Entering the market itself several business people again complained bitterly that they have been denied use of the car park, which they used for several years. They are now forced to travel some distance with their goods, money and jewellery since there is no parking facility for themselves or their customers. An unacceptable, stressful situation.
The absurdity of this situation has been highlighted before. The crassness of this arbitrary action by a government functionary is the opposite of democracy and decency.
This is compounded by complaints from vendors and citizens that as a people, we cannot be proud of the kind of behaviour that now takes place in this area improperly seized by a government minister, ignoring the need to execute a well thought-out plan accepted by his own government.
One would hope that the energies of this high official would be directed to securing the safety of the Demerara Harbour Bridge, among other areas of his responsibility.
This violation is a symptom of an unhappy trend, which, instead of bringing order to the city, has created more disaffection, disillusionment and disorder. There can be no substitute for a plan to ease the congestion in our central business areas.
The reason offered as in the case of the Monument is a shibboleth, a sham and a shame. But now who will bell the cat?
Yours faithfully,
Hamilton Green, JP
