IN a bid to ease congestion and improve the overall aesthetic of the Parika Market on the East Bank of Essequibo, the government is looking to repurpose one of two ballfields in the area for the creation of a massive market tarmac.

The announcement was made by President Dr Irfaan Ali, on Sunday, during a walk-about of the market. On Saturday, the President also toured the Leonora Market in Region Three, and announced plans for a similar tarmac there.

The Head of State, during his three-hour tour of the market on Sunday, got a firsthand look at the vending alongside the roadway and how it affected the free flow of traffic to the Parika Stelling.

Many vendors have set up makeshift stalls along the roadway and daily traffic congestion has been the result.

“We have already started some discussions with the people who have the ballfield. There are two ballfields so we will upgrade one so they can use that one, and then we will see if we can extend the market with this additional land.

“We will extend the tarmac, we will look at putting in the walkway canopies and then we will also look at enhancing the facilities, the washroom facilities, and everything,” President Ali told reporters at the end of the tour.

The President noted that the government’s intervention in the matter is necessary, highlighting that regional officials had made known their inability to finance such a massive project due to a lack of revenue.

Illegal vending, coupled with outstanding rent, has impacted the region’s current position.

“There is $10 million in outstanding rent for the market, so whilst the market management can do better and should do better, they are faced with this reality too.

“Where there is a deficit of $27,000 (per month) and there is outstanding rent of $10 million, and here is where the government comes in. It is obvious that they (regional officials) don’t have any capacity to invest in any infrastructural upgrades here,” President Ali stated.

According to the President, within the next two weeks, Minister of Tourism, Industry, and Commerce, Oneidge Walrond, and Minister within the Ministry of Public Works, Deodat Indar will hold consultations with the market committee, vendors, and other stakeholders, to discuss, in greater detail, the plans for this massive infrastructural transformation.

The Head of State noted that all vendors will be asked to comply with the necessary changes aimed at improving the operations of the market. He stated that, already from his interactions with the vendors, he has seen overwhelming support for the creation of the tarmac.

“Sometimes we have to make hard decisions; sometimes people have to embrace decisions that may seem hard initially but decisions that would ultimately benefit them, benefit everyone, take away a lot of problems so we will invest in that and we will ask everybody to move in the market,” President Ali stated.