Dear Editor,
I am the Managing Director of Guyana Variety Store & Nut Centre located at lot 8 Camp and Durban Street Werk-en-Rust, Georgetown, opposite the Georgetown Prison.
Guyana Variety Store & Nut Centre has been a registered trade mark for about 40 years and the buildings that house these businesses have been owned by the company since then, at their respective locations. The name has become a household name through the length and breadth of this wonderful country we call Guyana.
On December 1 2007, 1 noticed a sign painted on the road between the corners of Bent and Durban Street on Camp Street, in big bright yellow lettering that states “Monday, Wednesday, Friday No Entry from 7 am to 6 pm”. On Tuesdays and Thursdays the road is usually blocked from 1pm to 3.30 pm and sometimes before that time as well the Georgetown Prison blocks off this area without any notice.
In a recent conversation, myself and Mr. Dale Erskine the Director of Prisons, talked about the current situation. He said that he knows that this new arrangement will detour traffic from this street and customers and window shoppers would not be able to come to the store unless they can state their business to an armed policeman and, if granted permission, then they must walk to the store from one corner away. I reminded him that the business is registered and that rates and taxes are being paid on the building. The public should have free access by foot or vehicle to the business, so I asked him the next step I should take. He then suggested that I write the relevant authorities.
I explained to Mr. Erskine that this was the month of Christmas. Employer, employees and customers all looked forward to a bonus from the business. It’s the time of the year that the store would offer more than a service, but at this time or any other time these restrictions were a disaster for any business place. He stated that the decision to block the road was passed through Parliament and that the decision was final.
My business did 5% of its expected sales for that time of the year, and it’s getting worse. I’m forced to pay my staff and all other bills from my pocket because of this. I would like to recommend to the relevant authorities, that the prison authority try to purchase all the buildings in the area before deciding the fate of someone’s business.
If I don’t get relief I will be forced to close my door permanently because of this action that the Georgetown Prison has taken. My business has been closed from December 20 2007.
Yours faithfully,
John Singh
Registered owner of Guyana
Variety Store And Nut Centre
Editor’s note
We are sending a copy of this letter to Mr Dale Erskine, the Director of Prisons, for any comments he may wish to make.