-PPP Councillor highlights

DESPITE Bourda Market being a critical component within Georgetown’s buzzing commercial hub, the A Partnership for National Unity (APNU)-led City Council has left the market on the backburners of development.

During an interview with the Guyana Chronicle on Friday, Jai Narine Singh Jr, well known as Don Singh stated that upon visiting the establishment, it was evident that it was in dire need of a facelift.

Frustrated with the state of the market and the issue being continuously swept under the rug by the Mayor & City Council (M&CC), Singh said that he and fellow People’s Progressive Party (PPP) City Hall Councillors decided to take a more hands-on approach to the issue.

“So we said, let’s get practical, let’s get out there, let’s speak to the people… [and] find practical solutions that help the everyday lives of people,” he said.

Flagging the major health violations, the PPP Councillor highlighted that the fish pond and meat section are in a state of despair.

“Upon entering… where the fish pond and meat section are, the stench that greets you there for a place that’s selling meat is horrendous. Absolutely horrendous…There’s flies, there’s puddles of stagnant water on the ground,” he stated.

Singh then said: “We talked to a lot of people who own stalls in the market, who’ve been there 30-40 years, I mean, they just seem to be resigned to their feet, expecting nothing good to come of anything. They’ve made numerous complaints… [there have been] visits by this current mayor and previous mayors, nothing has ever been done.”

Furthermore, he stated that they contacted some persons at the Guyana Water Incorporated (GWI) and already some pipes have been fixed.
He further disclosed: “They promised to come back next week and give us a proper assessment and put in proper systems, water systems, to wash the market out, first of all, because apparently that has not been done for a long time.”

Moreover, upon visiting Merriman’s Mall, Singh revealed that the vendors there too expressed much dismay with the state of that area.

He said: “The complaints are just numerous and what pervades most of all is that the place is selling [produce]… is “stinky and dutty” and that has to be rectified ASAP.”

When asked what is the M&CC doing about this, the PPP Councillor said that this matter is not being addressed properly and the APNU-led Council, according to Singh, is “busy worrying about whose grounds it is in Carifesta” and not addressing the concerns of those that elected them.