Vendors are pleased with the ongoing repairs to a section of the Bourda Market roof, saying that works on the market are “long overdue.” However, some are afraid of closing their stalls as they are fearful of robbers “carrying away everything.”
Deputy City Engineer (ag) Rasheed Kellman, during an interview with Stabroek News yesterday, revealed that the $32,209,870 contract was awarded to Buin Rane General Construction Company. Under the contract, the company will refurbish the south-eastern section of the roof, which is approximately 50 per cent of the roof. The project commenced on September 23rd and is expected to be completed within a six-week period. Thus far, five per cent of the roof has been completed, Kellman said. He added that at least seven stalls in the market will remain closed to facilitate the repairs.
The city engineer indicated that the vendors were served a month’s notice about the closure of sections of the market and they readily cooperated and made no objections to the closure of their stalls. He said that the closure of the stalls might last only a day or two. However, they will be reopened once the contractors have moved to another section of the roof and then another set of stalls will be closed.
Stabroek News interviewed a number of vendors at the market who were largely pleased with the repairs. One vendor, who wished not to be named, said, “For the past 23 years, this market here never repair so now we getting a facelift for the market. Some people can’t work but I’m very happy that they’re giving the market a facelift, ‘cause the place gon look nice and customer gon start coming in more.”
Another, Julie Callender, said that she is confident that the repairs will be completed within the stipulated timeframe. “It’s a good initiative and they (the contractors) are moving fast so they aren’t keeping back anybody from work,” she said. In addition, Callender confirmed that they were served two notices about the repairs and the closure of the stalls before work on the roof commenced.
A vendor, who wished not to be named, applauded the city council for the project and voiced similar sentiments to Callender saying, “I think that it’s a good thing what they started, the city council. They (the contractors) are moving fast and aren’t keeping anybody back from work because people have bills to pay and so forth. It ain’t throwing nobody out of business and council have done well for starting this.”
Esther Roberts, who is a regular customer at the market, said that repairs on the market are “long overdue” and she is “very happy” about the repairs. “As citizens, we must be comfortable and have a business in a safe environment and I think it’s very good initiative. We are happy that they are doing it because its overdue,” the woman added.
However, despite being pleased with the refurbishing of the market roof, some vendors are scared to leave their stalls alone even for a day due to break-ins that occur frequently in the market.
One of the vendors, Bentley (only name given), said that he is “stressed out” about the repairs. First of all, he said, they are still required to pay the same amount of money to rent the stalls and during the time he closes his stall, he fears returning to an empty stall. “I think they should take less rent ‘cause we won’t sell anything for couple of days and the security is not good so who knows if we will find our stalls empty. They are not going to pay us for stolen goods,” he said. However, he stated, that he is pleased with the ongoing repairs on the roof and hopes the security guards will be on high alert especially around the stalls that are closed. Further, he said, repairs to the “roof, walls and gates are long overdue.”
A female vendor expressed similar sentiments and even recounted some of the break-ins that took place at her stall. “I am very happy that they are making repairs. It is long overdue ‘cause there is a big hole in the roof just above me. I got lost countless times trying to meet the engineer to tell him that we need urgent repairs on the roof,” the middle-aged woman said. Further, she said that she is very skeptical about leaving her stall as it is a regular target for robbers. “On one occasion, I came back here and found my stall door open and they carry away everything,” the woman recounted. “I got robbed so many times. People say they come through the gates, which are not in a proper state, during the nights,” she added.
Meanwhile, Kellman revealed that a proposal has been approved to repair the walls, gates and some of the stalls in the market along with the various washrooms. That project, he said, is expected to commence early next year.
