More than one year after reconstruction of New Amsterdam’s municipal market was scheduled to be completed at a cost of some $109 million under the Urban Development Programme [UDP], several concerns still linger over the problem- plagued project.

Work began in April 2001 on reconstructing a major part of the dilapidated facility which housed approximately 500 vendors for decades, and was scheduled to be completed in February 2003, ten months later. Last Friday an official at the UDP’s Project Office in Georgetown told this newspaper that “the problem of dusting on a section of the market’s floor had been remedied and the facility will be commissioned in the near future.”

Earlier this week, acting Town Clerk, Cheryl John said that a sealant had been applied to the floor in an effort to stop the dusting while remedial work on the roof was ongoing. Several vendors who spoke to this newspaper said the new section of the market leaks like a “sieve” whenever it rains, noting that the problem with the guttering and pipes is a structural one.

A section of the market under the Town Hall was not part of the project and is scheduled to be reconstructed under Phase Two of the UDP. Here vendors say the situation is worse since apart from flooding, they have been suffering thousands of dollars in losses whenever it rains.

When the project began in 2001, the understanding was that the works would have been executed in phases to minimize the expected inconvenience of displacing vendors and their stalls. The contractors, S. Nabi and Sons, had provided temporary accommodation for vendors at the rear of the market, reportedly at a cost of $1 million. This was however considered unsuitable by most vendors who then moved to the roadway along both sides of Strand and the Town Hall. The congestion created by approximately 200 displaced vendors on the main thoroughfare has created a nightmare for traffic with very little space for pedestrians, cyclists and motorists and major problems for garbage collectors.

Earlier this week John reiterated that the Council was losing much-needed revenue from the displaced vendors and was anxious to have them back in the market. An early return to the market is also the hope of most vendors, both inside and outside the facility, while those on the streets are more desperate to escape the elements, and the storage and security problems.

On a recent visit to the facility, Stabroek News was shown a section of the roof where vendors said the guttering overflows when rain falls, pouring a large volume of water on to the floor of the new section. Piles of garbage were also seen scattered on the unoccupied floor. Some vendors say the garbage collectors only clean the market once a week while others say some vendors are guilty of littering. Another bone of contention is the inoperable sanitary block built as part of the project. John explained that the facility has not yet been put into service for the 300-odd vendors in the market because of a damaged fitting which was shown to Stabroek News by vendors.

However, potable water is not available in the facility and vendors are forced to buy water from outside. John said the Council was waiting on the Guyana Power and Light Inc to install a 240-volt line to the facility which will permit the use of pumps to supply the overhead storage tanks. There are also no security lights in the facility and John attributes this to the absence of the 240-volt line. Yet there is speculation that problems between the Council and GPL may be a factor in the facility being left in darkness at nights. And some vendors continue to report break-ins at their stalls at nights.

Meanwhile, the Council owes GPL some $11 million for electricity supplied over the years, a figure which is growing at a rate of $400,000 monthly or $4.8 million annually. According to John, discussions are ongoing between the two entities to resolve the matter since GPL also owes the Council approximately $8 million in arrears in rates and taxes. Vendors are now forced to use an outdoor toilet along Strand opposite the Town Hall, surrounded by vendors selling a wide variety of goods.

Moreover, the project was also plagued by a Court action brought against the Council by a group of vendors; the issue of who should take possession of the materials removed from the old structure; a delay in the supply of materials; and logistical problems in addition to the leaking roof and dusting of the floor.

The Council had refused to accept the facility until the floor issue was resolved and this dragged on for several months this year before the chemical was applied. However vendors say there is still some dusting in another section of the floor and they are still concerned about the security lights. Some vendors have secured electricity for their stalls directly from the power company.

The rear of the facility which houses the Sanitary Block and a Day Care Centre, yet to be commissioned, is an environmentalist’s nightmare with garbage strewn among thick overgrowth accompanied by an offensive odour. Some vendors say the open space next to the beef section is used by some as an open-air latrine.

Hundreds of vendors are hopeful that these concerns will be addressed long before President Bharrat Jagdeo is asked some time soon to commission this $109M facility.