By Navendra Seoraj

APPROXIMATELY $400M is to be spent on rehabilitating the dilapidated Stabroek Market Wharf, according to Town Clerk Royston King, yesterday in an invited comment to this publication.

Mr. King noted that the unsightly structure is soon to be torn down and replaced with a mall-like facility, complete with a boardwalk and entertainment area.

The Town Clerk said that subsequent to the passage of the 2016 budget, which will include the proposed sum for the project, the Mayor and City Council (M&CC) and the Ministry of Public Infrastructure will commence demolition and subsequent reconstruction of the wharf.

He indicated that a meeting has been set for tomorrow (Thursday) with the vendors who occupy the area, and they will be advised to temporarily relocate to the Transport and Harbours (T&HD) section of the market.

“Vendors ought not to worry, as they will be given first preference to return, once the project (has been) completed. However, due to the modernisation, they will be asked to pay a little more rent,” King explained.

The portion of the stelling, which faces the Demerara river has, for years, been an eyesore for the thousands who use the speedboat service every day. The pathetic sight of this ramshackle stelling, with zinc sheets dangling dangerously, since a section of the roof caved in a year ago, is what greets those coming in on cruise and other ships, which use the Georgetown docks.

Collapse of a portion of the roof two Septembers ago did not deter vendors from conducting business there. Many stallholders have been determined to hold on to the spots they have occupied in this facility over the years, and some have even been occupying those spots for decades.

“The facility is not only an eyesore, it is ruinous and dangerous to the health and lives of persons who use it,” King said.

The M&CC has drafted a plan on which is depicted a newly modernised wharf designed by Kabila Hollingsworth, which will surely vanquish the eyesore and bring a better sight for the public.