Latest update April 4th, 2025 6:13 AM
Region Four officials to halt slaughtering of animals at market
– businessman threatens legal action
A Mon Repos businessman is threatening legal action against the Neighbourhood Democratic Council that is responsible for the sanitation of the community over the wanton dumping of carcasses by vendors in the village market tarmac.
Khemraj Tula, whose family operates a business just behind the Mon Repos Market Tarmac, said the situation has reached crisis stage. It is putting his relatives as well as his customers at risk of contracting diseases.
Regional Chairman Clement Corlette
Poultry vendors at the Mon Repos roadside market on East Coast of Demerara are allowed to slaughter their animals on site, the remains of which they dump at the back of the tarmac, a few feet from the homes of residents and other established businesses.
Sometimes the waste is left for days before it is removed by employees of the Neighbourhood Democratic Council’s sanitation crew, much to the disgust of those affected.
“From Saturday afternoon to Sunday afternoon, you can’t even come out onto your verandah. You have to lock up all your windows and by the place is hot now, it is unbearable,” one resident complained.
Attempts to burn the waste only result in additional hardship since the smoke invariably gets into the nearby homes.
When the flies that feast on the waste are taken into account, one does not have to wonder at the potential health crises the situation poses.
Kaieteur News observed sheep entrails and even small embryos in the drain at the back of the market tarmac during a recent visit to the site.
Itinerant vendors from all over converge on the market with live animals, which they kill on site and then dump the waste at the back of the tarmac.
“These people who sell here and dump their chicken guts and feathers here don’t have to live through this,” Tula told this newspaper.
He noted that repeated appeals to the NDC have apparently fallen on deaf ears. He had to personally seek the intervention of Regional Chairman Clement Corlette.
Yesterday, Corlette confirmed that he had received a complaint, which he dealt with expeditiously.
The Regional Chairman said that he had spoken to the overseer responsible for the area and to the Regional Environmental Health Officer, with a view to having the situation rectified.
He declared that while the slaughtering of animals on site may be a cultural thing- “people like to see their animals slaughtered”-there is need for proper supervision of such activity.
“No inspection is done. If an animal has disease nobody will know,” the Regional Chairman said.
On the question of the timely removal of the waste from the market, Corlette said that the NDC admitted that to having problems with its vehicles, a situation that lasted close to a week.
But this explanation did not go down well with the businessman.
“Tractor wheel puncture was their excuse. But which tractor wheel will tek a week fuh patch? Dey gat plenty vulcanizing shop around hey,” Tula declared.
Garbage, including animal carcass is creating havoc for some residents of Mon Repos.
Only recently he entertained some overseas guests and was embarrassed by the sight of flies all over the lunch he had prepared for them. Then there was the stench emanating from the garbage which was dumped in front of his yard.
One of the overseas visitors said that he was forced to cut short his vacation after having to relocate from the premises where he was originally scheduled to stay.
“Honestly, I can’ believe that people are forced to live like this. This place (Guyana) is a real turn off. When we thought of coming to relax in our homeland, we are forced into an existence like animals. The stench and sight are really a turn off,” the New York-based Guyanese told this newspaper.
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