City to confront businesses over illegal adjustment to pavements -Green

City Hall would be approaching business owners about illegal adjustments to city pavements, according to Mayor Hamilton Green.

At a press conference on Thursday, Green addressed the minor constructions that have been going on in front of business places, where persons have been building up their pavements and buildings without permission from the City Engineer’s Department, thereby posing difficulties for members of the public, including persons with disabilities.

“We will be calling in them and make it clear that we understand their problem but there is an international rule that disallows people just to putting up steps that would make it dangerous for elderly people etcetera,” Green said.

His comments also came in light of a recent letter to him from acting Police Commissioner Seelall Persaud, who also complained about the situation.

In his letter, dated November 26th, 2014, Persaud said some businesspersons had been making adjustments to pavements whenever they renovate or construct new buildings in the city. “Some of those adjustments create perpendicular rise and fall along the pavement that makes it difficult for pedestrians and thereby forcing them to walk on the road at the risk of accidents…,” he further pointed out.