The Ministry of Works is currently conducting a massive clean-up campaign on a former dumpsite, situated in the vicinity of Station Street, Kitty [on the railway line], for the purpose of constructing a sports facility; a basketball tarmac to be exact. As a result, vendor Desiree Gardner, who has been operating her snackette [shown in photo] for twenty-two years, has been forced to relocate to her property in Parfait Harmonie on the West Demerara.The woman is complaining that she cannot operate a business in the area where her land is located, as it is too “far at the back”. She told Stabroek News that the spot where her shop was located up to Wednesday morning was part of the dump site and she cleaned it out to set up her business. She said that after she was approached by the Minister’s contractors about her having to relocate, she went in to the Ministry of Local Government to find out if indeed she was in the workers’ way. The woman said that Local Government Ministry then had the issue checked out and she was told that there was no cause for her to move as she was not in the way of the construction.However, she was eventually given up to Wednesday to remove from the premises. Designer Engineer for the Ministry of Works, Khiraj Bisesar on Wednesday explained to this newspaper that the reason for the demolition is that measurements have to be carried out to see which section of the facility will be placed where. “This cannot be done without demolishing everything,” he stated. He said his contractor on Saturday offered to transport the woman to Parfait Harmonie but the offer was refused.
In photo, an excavator can be seen on site awaiting Gardner’s relocation.
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