Minister of Local Government, Kellawan Lall, and Minister of Public Works, Robeson Benn, visited the Bourda Market yesterday and made a number of recommendations to improve the facility.
The Ministers of Government were accompanied by the Deputy Mayor, Mr. Robert Williams, other Council members, and representatives from both Ministries.
The visit was intended to inspect the market and identify areas in need of repairs and improvement.
Minister Benn noted that the market requires a lot of work to meet international standards.
He said Guyanese will benefit when these changes are made.
Benn and Lall observed the drainage situation around the market, garbage disposal practices, and maintenance and management of the market. Responding to queries from the Ministers about the blocked drains, Williams said people dump garbage into the drains. He drew their attention to a vendor who was sweeping the garbage from her stall into the drain.
Minister Lall suggested that people who do this should be made to pay a fine.
During the tour of the meat section of the market, Benn pointed out that the butchers were not meeting required standards in meat handling.
He told Medical Officer of Health, Mr. Dennison Davis, that a demonstration may be needed to show the butchers how to handle the meat.
Minister Benn also noted that the fish vendors' stalls are too low, and there is no ice to preserve the fish.
Minister Lall suggested that sinks and pipe lines be installed.
Lall also noted that the roof of the market needs cleaning. He proposed that the building be power washed, but Williams said that those responsible for cleaning the roof refuse to do so, because of the faulty wiring. Williams said he has to hire others to perform this task.
The Ministers asked the Deputy Mayor about the disposal of garbage when they noticed a pile of spoilt vegetables which was dumped at the side of the road. Williams informed them that the compressors on the garbage trucks were full, since the vendors somehow found out that a delegation from the Government was supposed to visit the market, and they cleaned up.
The Ministers agreed that this seemed possible, since the market was not in the state they heard it usually is in.
They recommended a more efficient garbage collection programme so that waste is not left at the road side.
The Deputy Mayor said there will be weekly inspections of the market, so that the vendors would keep the facility as clean as it was yesterday.