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Kitty Market a risk to life and limb — says Commissioner of Inquiry
Commissioner Keith Burrowes converses with vendors. Standing at left is Mr Puran Persaud and Ms Yonette Pluck
The Kitty Market was regarded as a ‘risk to life and limb’ on Thursday by Commissioner of Inquiry, Keith Burrowes, when he visited the dilapidated facility among several others to get a first-hand look at their revenue collection integrity.
Burrowes, who is tasked with investigating financial irregularities and mismanagement at the Georgetown municipality that were detailed in the 2007 Auditor General Report, is currently in the process of finalising a report in this regard which will be submitted to Minister of Local Government and Regional Development, Kellawan Lall.
And within the report, according to Burrowes, recommendations for revenue collection will be outlined, thus the need to highlight the various problems the key revenue collection facilities face as it relates to infrastructure.
Burrowes is being ably assisted by a supporting team which consists of officials drawn from the City Council and the Ministries of Finance and Local Government, along with a trade union representative.
On Thursday, he was accompanied by Local Government representative and Secretary to the Commissioner, Puran Persaud, and Acting Town Clerk Ms Yonette Pluck-Cort.
Based on his observation, Burrowes was able to embrace the reality that the market is almost at the stage of collapsing. He noted that the upper flat has been abandoned because of its deplorable state.
Burrowes said, “One of the things that we will put in the report is the fact that they (the municipality) need to make a decision to possibly evacuate vendors, since they are charging them at a facility which is a risk to life and limb.”
In responding to Burrowes’s queries of the soundness of the building, the Acting Town Clerk disclosed that an assessment of the building was carried out last year by the City Engineer’s Department, and it was deduced that it is a threat to the safety of the vendors.
As a result of this fear, the vendors only pay a meagre sum for occupying the facility.
As part of his inspection of the facility, Burrowes engaged in conversations with several of the vendors, all of whom highlighted an urgent need for the roof of the building to be rehabilitated in order for them to improve their operations.
They added that when it rains water seeps through the flooring of the upper flat damaging a considerable amount of their merchandise.
The vendors said that their clientele has diminished over the years.
But, according to Pluck-Cort, it was suggested at one point that the top section of the building be dismantled in order to place a proper roof over the vendors’ heads. However, the lack of finances was cited as the primary reason why such an undertaking has not materialised.
She added that the municipality is considering other means of restoring the facility, one of these being through private/public sector partnership, a matter which is still at the discussion phase.
Among the other places Burrowes visited were the Stabroek Market, the La Penitence Market and the Municipal Abattoir. Burrowes is to further scrutinise the operation at the abattoir which is tasked with licensing the operation of similar entities but is itself in an unacceptable state, since its own infrastructural design is not up to standard.
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