The controversial parking lot outside the Celina Atlantic resort, Kitty has received further attention from the Guyana Police force’s traffic department following a recent embarrassing lapse and now the entire area has been yellow-lined and a more prominent no-parking sign has been painted on.
Yesterday this newspaper visited the area and spoke with Proprietor of the resort Bernard Yhun and a member of staff. They said the lines were painted at different times in recent days.
Additionally, the area just opposite the parking lot has been officially declared a no-parking zone.
However Yhun told Stabroek News that he plans to make a walkway heading west towards the Kitty pump station and extend lights in that area so that his few ‘die hard’ customers could still enjoy the resort and restaurant.
The strip of road-like pave has been the centre of controversy for some time now and while Yhun was originally granted permission to construct it for the purpose of the parking of vehicles of customers, it was later termed a ‘traffic hazard’ considering its location.
Meanwhile, Yhun says he has faced a marked decline in his business since the controversy and was forced to send home half of his staff. “It makes no sense I have all those people here working and then I am not making the profit and I have to pay them every month so I had to let a few of them go,” Yhun said.
Yhun said he was a law-abiding citizen and hence he will just resort to lighting-up a walkway and will also instal lights in the area where his customers are allowed to park.
After Christmas, the resort hosted the yearend parties for two government ministries, education and home affairs, and photos of several vehicles breaching the no parking sign were carried in this newspaper.
Traffic Chief Roland Alleyne has since acknowledged that there “may have been a breach” of the no parking sign outside of the resort on the night on which the photos were taken and published. He had noted, too, that action will be taken to ensure there is no recurrence and through a police statement also cautioned all drivers that there is a ‘No Parking’ sign posted within the vicinity of that facility and this will be enforced regardless of who breaches it. Traffic police were also photographed in one of the pictures assisting drivers to park despite the no parking sign. Among cars parked on the parapet were those used by members of the Guyana Police Force and the Guyana Defence Force.
In October last year, the cars of some diners were towed away by the police because they had parked on the parapet.
The Celina resort and regulatory authorities have been in a long-running dispute over the parapet. (Heppilena Ferguson)
