Latest update February 11th, 2025 2:15 PM
Latest News
- Govt. makes move to cancel CGX, Frontera Corentyne block license in 30 days
- ExxonMobil paying taxes in Bahamas but not a cent to Guyana
- Canadian company completes airstrip, roads to kick off 5.4M ounce gold project in Guyana
- Hamas threatens to postpone next hostage release, claiming Israel has broken terms of ceasefire deal
- Twelve-year-old girl missing for three weeks
Upgrade to Parika Market now pegged at $230M
Kaieteur News – Works on phase two of the Parika Market upgrade project is now estimated to cost Guyana some $230 million.
Tenders for this Ministry of Local Government and Regional Development project, which had opened back in July at the National Procurement and Tender Administration Board office was estimated to cost $178,830,575, but during the latest opening of tenders, the project is now pegged at $230,136,170.
Some sections of the Parika Market.
The project which attracted just only two contractors saw both firms bidding above the engineer’s estimate. The contractors who submitted bids are: Ranko Steel Fabrication and Construction who bid $270,017,821 and Vals Construction who bid $346,389,230.
The rehabilitation project of the market began last year when a contract was signed between the Ministry and Val’s Construction to complete phase one of the project. The contract which was signed in mid-July last year was worth $29.2 million. At that contract signing, it was noted that the project would see the construction of 1000sq. ft. of roof with translucent sheets that would allow natural light to illuminate the market; a 300-foot concrete and steel fencing would be constructed, and the establishment of a four-chamber sanitary facility. Major works were also slated to be done on the electrical distribution system.
It was reported that when the works on the market are completed, vendors would be able to operate under better and improved conditions. Though it is unclear, the percentage of works completed at the market, a stall holder previously wrote a letter in this publication calling for the President to intervene in addressing the present state of the facility.
According to the stall holder, Robin Salim who has a gold business there for a number of years, the market is currently in a deplorable condition which is affecting the operations of some businesses. Salim said in his letter, “The market has been in a deplorable state for some years now and several persons who own stalls were forced to close their businesses. The authorities are allowing persons to ply their trade on the road to the detriment of the persons who operate inside the market. This has resulted in several persons going out of business over the years.”
He had noted that the many visits authorities made they have promised that they will rebuild the market and bring back some order in the operations of the market. “It is now some ten months since they started the works to fix the market and to date only some posts and frame of the roof have been constructed,” he mentioned. The man described that currently, the roofs of several stalls are leaking and the market is “like a ghost town as shoppers are not coming in due to persons occupying the roadways.”
In April, President Irfaan Ali had visited the market area and announced plans on improving the market for proper vending. One of the improvements he had announced was to repurpose one of two ball-fields in the area for the creation of a massive market tarmac. Works on the tarmac has since started sometime around August and this project is to ease congestion and improve the facilities for vendors and citizens using the market area. The construction of the tarmac was estimated to cost some $139 million.
Similar Articles
THE BLUNT OF THE DAY
Sports
Features/Columnists
Are we better off today than we were before first oil?
Peeping Tom… Kaieteur News-If you had asked me ten years ago what I wanted for Guyana, I would have said a few things:... more
OAS Secretary General Election and renewed OAS Consensus
Antiguan Barbudan Ambassador to the United States, Sir Ronald Sanders By Sir Ronald Sanders Kaieteur News- The upcoming election... more
Weekend Cartoon
