Market day is Monday in Charity!
Acting Overseer for Charity/Urasara NDC Rameez Pir Baksh
Acting Overseer for Charity/Urasara NDC Rameez Pir Baksh

– businesses longing for relief from COVID-19 setbacks

BUSINESSES in Charity, especially those owned by the private sector, have taken a financial beating since the coronavirus pandemic touched down in Guyana in March 2020, but authorities and residents are hoping that the ‘dry spell’ will pass at least by the half of 2022, so that some amount of normalcy can once again prevail.

Residents in the Pomeroon have especially had it hard over the past weeks, having to cope with extreme flooding due to high tides and rainfall. Even though things haven’t been the brightest, the Charity market will still somewhat come to life on Mondays and Fridays.

Other than these two market days, the area will mostly be like a ghost town. The transformation that the area sees, especially on Mondays, is remarkable, as residents from all corners of the Pomeroon and surrounding areas will come out to sell their produce.

It was no different over the past weekend when people were out doing their holiday shopping. Even so, the turnout was nothing compared with previous years.

“The pandemic has slowed business tremendously; it’s hard on people. Most of the businesses close early and have reduced the number of staff they have. For December, things have picked up a little, but business is not like before,” Acting Overseer for Charity/Urasara, Neighbourhood Democratic Council (NDC) Rameez Pir Baksh pointed out.

The NDC, as it struggles to cope with the limitations, has made it a point not to pressure vendors and stallholders when it comes to paying the rent. “We have been very flexible with them and have given them additional time to pay,” Baksh noted.

To help with the flooding situation, the government has supplied hampers for various areas affected and the Ministry of Agriculture has also offered flood relief to some of the farmers.

New Market
Baksh shared some of the major developmental works presently ongoing in Charity. For one thing, a new, enclosed market is being constructed at the Amazon Back Street area to accommodate all those vending on government reserves.

A project by the Ministry of Local Government and Regional Development, Baksh said all of the vendors will be removed and placed in one location. The exercise is expected to be completed sometime in the new year.

Market streets are also being repaired, so that people can shop comfortably in the area, and the Charity river dam is also going to be rehabilitated.

“Presently, we have about 150 vendors on the database, but there is more. The market will be like a mini-mall when it’s finished,” Baksh said, adding that phase one of the project was completed at an estimated cost of $35M.

More money is expected to be allocated to finishing off the market in 2022.

The Charity NDC has also been offering assistance to Venezuelans coming to Guyana and according to Baksh, the government has promised to build a hostel for them next year. “We hope that by half of next year, things will be back to normal. More people will be vaccinated, even as over 80 percent of people in Region Two have already gotten their shots,” Baksh said.

Charles Marks, 70, has been living in Charity for over 40 years and has observed the great transformation that the location has seen, especially with regard to business. “At first, there were only a few little shacks. Now we have supermarkets, restaurants, hotels, etc.” he noted.

Meanwhile, some residents are not pleased that minibus operators and hire care drivers are continuing to charge an increased fare, even though they are carrying the full number of passengers. The fares were raised when half the number of passengers was being picked up to allow for social distancing. But while the operators have abandoned the arrangement to pick up fewer passengers, they are continuing to charge the increased fare.

Residents are hoping that the authorities will look into this as the cost for transportation has been a burden on them.

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