–President Ali says after section of Stabroek Market collapses due to years of neglect
–injured persons get prompt medical attention;
–Benn says site, section of facility still an accident waiting to happen
–Central Gov’t forced to step in to clear collapsed site, chart a way forward

A FULL-scale clearing operation is underway after the western section of the Stabroek Market’s roof collapsed early Wednesday morning, resulting in minor injuries to four vendors and one fisherman.

In response to the collapse, President Dr. Irfaan Ali visited the scene, assessed the situation, and directed government officials to take action.

President Ali, expressing concern over the lack of maintenance of City infrastructure, instructed Minister within the Ministry of Public Works Deodat Indar and Minister of Local Government and Regional Development Sonia Parag, along with teams of engineers, to clear the debris.

The Head of State criticised the Mayor and City Council’s leadership, citing their inability to manage such a critical infrastructure, which was left derelict for years.

“I have instructed Minister Indar and Minister Sonia; the engineers are already here to clean up… The City is not in a position, technically, from a management perspective.

And we have to be honest, from a leadership perspective, too,” President Ali said, adding: “The Mayor needs to work closer with the councillors in a collective way, because, from a leadership perspective, there is no capacity to manage some of these key infrastructure and investment in the city.”

As such, he tasked his two ministers to assess the damage and chart a way forward in rebuilding the section of the market.

“This is the problem with some of the infrastructure in the city that are not being maintained and are left in a state that is dangerous to the citizens. And we have to decide how we are going to address those issues,” he said.

“That is why we are discussing how to manage the situation. So, Minister Parag and Minister Indar will look at and make a total assessment so that we can see what must be done in clearing up, but also what must be done in moving forward safely and rebuilding,” he added.

Meanwhile, Minister Indar, who was among the first officials to arrive on the scene, informed the media that as soon as he heard the news, he, along with Minister Parag and the Minister of Home Affairs Robeson Benn, rushed to the scene to mobilise and dispatch emergency services to the location.

“From walking on the site,” he said, “I can tell you from observation, and from talking with the persons who normally vend there, some folks actually live there.

They told us that, initially, there were four persons who got injured; one guy slipped a shoulder, and some had minor injuries, but they had been given medical attention.

“There was a fifth person who emerged just now, and he had a little laceration behind his neck, and he has gone to get medical treatment. So, what we have seen and heard is that five persons, and all of them are seeking medical attention.”

Minister Indar also related that from the reports he received from eyewitnesses when they heard the “cracking” of the wooden structure, they jumped overboard to save their lives.

He also said that the area is currently a fire hazard, which is a threat to the market.

‘AN ACCIDENT WAITING TO HAPPEN’
In an invited comment to the media, Minister Benn said that the collapsed site, as well as another part of the market, “is an accident waiting to happen”.

“It is under the operational and administrative control of the City Council, and since several years ago it was a disused site, and persons were prevented from coming onto it. Pending a decision by them (the City Council) for repairs to the facility, and that hasn’t happened yet.

“Obviously there has been a lack of control as to the use of the site and paying attention to the deterioration of the structure,” Minister Benn said.

Considering the current danger of the site, Minister Benn asked that the City Council work with the government and the firefighters to get the debris cleared.

Minister Parag said that she recently visited the Stabroek Market during a walkabout and was left to question the use of the wharf after seeing the deplorable state that it was in.

According to her, the deteriorated state was due to the lack of “checks and balances” by the City Council, who were supposed to ensure that no one occupied the area.

“I was here two weeks ago on a walkabout as the Minister of Local Government… I noted and expressed publicly the dangers of people that were traversing on that wharf at the time.
“I know it was a wharf that was condemned because I heard that from several vendors who were here. People actually brought it to my attention because people were there, and it was potentially dangerous, and today we saw the effects of that,” Minister Parag said.

Speaking with the Guyana Chronicle, Olanza Evans, who was one of the five persons who were injured, said he heard a cracking noise seconds before the roof collapsed.

“We were just sitting down, and we heard a cracking sound, and the roof started to come down, and we ran; some just jump overboard. I was a vendor here for years, and now everything is covered,” a distraught Evans said.

ASSESSMENT UPDATE
In keeping with President Ali’s commitment, following an assessment of the collapsed structure a few hours after, Minister Parag revealed that her ministry and the Ministry of Public Works, and teams of other government officials, such as MARAD, firefighters, engineers, and others have developed the requested plan to clear the rubble.

According to her, the clearing has begun, and will be done in a Phase One approach. This will be followed by a Phase Two approach, which will ensure the removal of the other dilapidated building, which is still standing and is hazardous.

Meanwhile, Minister Indar said that due to the narrow pathway to get through the market, it would be challenging for heavy machinery to get to the designated location, and as such, the teams are operating manually to clear the debris.

He also said that for the safety of the workers, a walkway is being built so that they can clear the area without the risk of anyone getting hurt.

Minister Indar further disclosed that they have resorted to using a barge, an excavator, and trucks that will collect and dispose of the debris.

“This operation is all manual; we will take all the debris manually onto a pontoon, and an excavator will load it onto trucks to take to a waste site,” Minister Indar said.
The Government of Guyana is asking that persons stay away from collapsed sites so as to prevent any further injuries to others.