By: Antonio Dey | HGP Nightly News|
Minister of Local Government and Regional Development, Priya Manickchand, has pledged to address the longstanding challenges faced by vendors at the Industry/Plaisance Market, following months of unsanitary conditions and severe flooding that have resulted in heavy losses for traders.
Despite the drizzling rain, Minister Manickchand visited the market early Sunday morning, meeting with both itinerant and permanent vendors to hear their concerns firsthand.
Inside the market, vendors complained bitterly about non-functioning toilet facilities, a lack of running water, overflowing drains, and poor maintenance, all of which have contributed to recurring flooding.
“The morning when we came, all the garbage was floating. Nobody helped us in removing the water — we got pumps and everything,” said Kavita Datt, a pharmacist at Datt’s Drugstore.
Others pointed to the lack of security, claiming that repeated break-ins and thefts have gone unaddressed by the Industry/Plaisance Neighbourhood Democratic Council (NDC).
“Several times the stall was broken into. I never got any compensation. There is no proper security here — we’re functioning as if it’s self-help,” lamented one vendor.
The vendors further accused the NDC of abdicating its responsibilities, especially during emergencies. One vendor stated that he was compelled to rent pumps personally to remove stagnant water after flooding occurred due to an ongoing culvert construction project that had blocked the water flow.
“It’s since September this work start, and when the men block the koker, the whole place full when the rain fall Thursday,” the vendor explained.
“The Council never sent anyone to help — I had to get two submersible pumps to drain this water myself,” he added.
An NDC official admitted that the contractor was supposed to deploy a worker to pump out the water, but that “was not the case.”
Minister Manickchand acknowledged that the situation reflected a breakdown in communication among local authorities.
“That is the disconnect — if somebody is doing something in the area, the NDC has to know, the region has to know, and that is something we have to fix,” the Minister asserted.
At the fish section of the market, vendors also raised concerns about unsanitary conditions, which they said have worsened in recent weeks due to the flooding.
Minister Manickchand assured the vendors that her ministry, along with the Ali-led administration, is committed to improving municipal and community markets across Guyana and will ensure that corrective measures are taken urgently.
“No vendor must endure such inconvenience,” she emphasized. “We are on a trajectory to transform community markets into facilities that are dignified, clean, and sustainable.”
