WORKS on the Hydronie and Parika markets have started and are well underway. Vashti Mooteeram, the Market Clerk at the Hydronie Market said the two contracts awarded were for the construction of a shed for a portion of the market and the other for the tarmac.
At the Parika market, the base is already finished and the columns are up.
According to the Department of Public Information (DPI), some $29.2 million has been allocated for rehabilitation of the Parika Market as part of a new wave of development in Region Three.
The project will see the construction of 1,000 square feet of roof with translucent sheets, to allow natural light to illuminate the market. A 300-foot concrete and steel fence will also be erected, along with a four-chamber sanitary facility. Major works will also be done on the electrical distribution system.
Local Government and Regional Development Minister Nigel Dharamlall facilitated the signing of a contract between VAL’S Construction and his ministry in July.
“This is part of our budgetary support approved by the government to enhance the infrastructure of the Parika Market. This work we expect will be done in the very near future, in a few months, so that those vendors who are terribly affected at Parika are going to be able to get back into the market, under better conditions of work,” Minister Dharamlall said
Minister Dharamlall said with government’s vision for development, the issues facing vendors and consumers will be alleviated.
“We are aware that many store owners are on the roadside towards the stelling, and as soon as this market is completed, this phase of rehabilitation, many of those who are encumbering on the road will find space within the market and we will have a much better business environment in Parika. So, we look forward to the contractor beginning work very soon.”
The project is part of the $130 million set aside by the Local Government Ministry to upgrade the Parika, Charity, and Mon Repos markets.
The project will improve the aesthetics of the communities and will bring order to the markets, eliminating itinerant vending, while providing shoppers with a safer and peaceful space to conduct business.
Meanwhile, President, Dr Irfaan Ali in April said the government will repurpose one of two ballfields in the area for the creation of a massive market tarmac. This announcement was made by the President during a walkabout in the market. During his walkabout, President Ali got a first-hand 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.
The President noted that the government’s intervention in the matter is necessary, noting 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 negatively impacted the region’s current financial 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 ([egional officials] don’t have any capacity to invest in any infrastructural upgrades here,” President Ali stated.