The Ministry of Local Government and Regional Development is to take over the rehabilitation of several markets around Georgetown.
Those rehabilitation projects are for the Kitty, Albouystown, La Penitence, Stabroek and Bourda markets.
This is according to Minister of Local Government, Nigel Dharamlall, who in an interview yesterday with the Department of Public Information (DPI) said the decision was made due to the failure of the Mayor and City Council (M&CC) to fulfil its mandate of having the markets rehabilitated.
Speaking about the Kitty Market, he said “They have not yet been able to complete the market to the extent that vendors can occupy it in a meaningful way, like all other projects pursued by the City Council. Their projects have been left unattended for a very long time”.
Dharamlall asserted that too many locations that fall under the purview of the M&CC face similar issues, including infrastructural defects, lack of proper management and inadequate security.
He declared that enough is enough and it’s for the people to benefit from improved markets.
This follows the takeover of another major municipal project – the rehabilitation of City Hall. A contract for this was signed in September 2021. The government is funding the project to the tune of $780 million.
City Hall’s new administrative building was also partially funded by the Government through a subvention.
Dharamlall insisted that the council has been earning billions and yet the work has not been completed.
“The unfortunate thing about all of this is that every time government has to do the heavy lifting, and City Hall earns over $2 billion per year. Where is it going?” he asked.
The Minister added that at some point, the council will answer for those monies but as of now the work will be completed by his Ministry.
The minister was not shy about referring to the upcoming local government elections in the context of the market projects.
He told DPI “The investment the citizens of Georgetown need to make is to invest in a new council. I think that is the only way we will be able to alleviate the problems in Georgetown”.
DPI also reported that he called on the citizens of Georgetown to examine the areas that need to be addressed and to elect councils that would represent their interests.
Ironically, Dharamlall’s Ministry was responsible for the oversight of the Parika Market rehabilitation which was destroyed by a huge fire in February this year. It has been reported that negligence by the contractor’s welders caused the fire.
