Latest update January 30th, 2025 6:10 AM
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Diamond Tarmac still not serving its purpose
Over one year ago, Government had inked contracts to establish market tarmacs in rural areas to ensure that itinerant vendors and others who would “casually” vend on the roadways would be given space to freely exercise vending in a safe and secure environment.
In October, last, Kaieteur News highlighted the Diamond Market tarmac, which is located in the Diamond/Grove New Housing Scheme, because since its establishment, it has never served its purpose.
The Diamond market tarmac which does not seem to be serving its actual purpose, as young men continue to make it a cricket pitch among other things.
This tarmac was built to facilitate vendors who did not have enough space in the old market square at Grove and who had relocated to the roadways on the Diamond Public Road and Diamond New Scheme Access Road, causing a major threat to the free and safe flow of traffic around that area.
This resulted in Government’s intervention of creating a safer location in the area which would facilitate the vendors, thus, the establishment of the Diamond market tarmac.
Contractor Khemraj Nauth on November 20, 2009, inked a $24.5 M contract with the Ministry of Local Government to establish a 4,600 square meter market tarmac located between the first and second bridges on the southern side of the scheme.
The project was scheduled to be completed at the end of three months; but there was a delay.
Last October when Kaieteur News visited the area, there were final “touches” being administered to the tarmac because, according to a source connected with the project, there were a few places on the tarmac that had water lodged, which the contractor was working to correct.
This newspaper visited the tarmac yesterday and to its amazement, nothing was different in comparison with its previous visit months ago.
In fact, some residents explained that there was an Old Year’s Night function (party) “thrown” on the tarmac recently.
Additionally, young men are now utilising the space every week to play cricket and basketball, not forgetting the stray animals which find a resting place there.
A new year has begun and nothing has yet changed.
It appears as if the purpose of the tarmac has shifted or government just does not see it fit to speed up the process of allowing the vendors to utilise the area.
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