Latest update January 1st, 2025 1:00 AM
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La Penitence stallholders to be removed by Saturday
Scores of stalls lining the public road outside the La Penitence Market are to be removed Saturday as Government announced plans to widen the road further to ease the traffic congestion on the East Bank Demerara roadway.
With several stalls located very close to the road, Minister of Public Works, Robeson Benn, previously said that these have to be removed since they would continue to impede the flow of traffic.
Some of the stalls on the roadside that are to be removed
However, stallholders on the lining of the road collectively agreed that there should be a proper and realistic alternative if their stalls are to be demolished.
“Who is going to compensate us after working here for all these years and investing our money to build our stall?”
According to secretary of Albouystown Market Committee and stall owners, Rickford Nelson, “Their ownership and occupation of these stalls are legally through the City Council and rentals are being paid, the council did not serve us any proper notice; only word of mouth yesterday, or even inform stall owners about their arrangement with the Ministries.
The Ministries of Public Works and Local Government cannot bully or bamboozle tax payers, or determine when they must stop doing legal business with the City Council.
The Laws of Guyana clearly states that once a piece of land is occupied with a building or otherwise, undisturbed for a period of 12 years onwards, the owner of such is entitled to title by prescription.
If it is imperative that our stalls be removed what are the alternatives, by means of compensation and re-allocation of these stalls.”
He said that letters stating the concern of stall holder were sent to President Bharrat Jagdeo, Minister of Public Works Robeson Benn, Mayor Hamilton Green, Minister of Local Government Kellawan Lall, and Town Clerk Yonette Pluck. However, there was no reply from theses authorities.
“We would therefore like to suggest that the government bridge the Sussex Street Canal north of this market to accommodate some of these stalls and purchase a vacant plot of land that is to the corner of James and Saffon Streets to accommodate the remaining stalls,” Nelson said.
Stall holders disclosed that they were called to an emergency meeting at the Albouystown Market office by Deputy Clerk of Market who informed vendors that they are in receipt of a notice from the Minister of Local Government stating in sections three and four they have to be removed.
One stallholder said that the Deputy Mayor, Robert Williams, told them that Punt-Trench is being looked at to relocate some of the stallholders.
“That place got plenty thieves, and when you left you things there, it gon get thief. They ain’t event got no building or infrastructure there to tek we,” one stall holder said.
Stall holders disclosed that some of them come from as far as Soesdyke, East Bank Demerara, and other lengthy districts in order to earn a simple living, but “they want we to go rob and thief then you gon hear something else.”
However, at the northern end of the La Penitence Market, the bridge at Saffon and Sussex Streets is to be widened along with the mandatory removal of the stalls.
This would mean further road closure.
However, closing off the La Penitence area for a few weeks will provide a huge headache for road officials faced with the choice of having to reroute traffic. The options are very few with many of the side streets in Albouystown too small or in a bad state.
Traffic on the East Bank Demerara has been critical over the past years with even the four-lane highway unable to handle the increase in the number of vehicles.
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