The City Council’s Solid Waste Director and vendors of Merriman Mall in Bourda, Georgetown are engaged in a bout of finger pointing over the current unsightly state of the mall.
Stabroek News yesterday visited the section of the Mall occupied by fruit and vegetable vendors and it was observed to be in a very unpleasant condition. Garbage could be seen dumped in proximity to the stalls. Homeless persons have also set up living quarters under the vacant stalls.
Vendors expressed their concern and lamented that it is unfair to them to have to sell their goods in an unsanitary environment. When Stabroek News asked who pollutes the area, the vendors said that it was the ‘junkies’ who bring their garbage from afar and leave it lying around, while other “far-off businesses” would pay these same persons to take away their garbage and dump it around the area as well.
The vendors asserted that they are the ones who clean the area most of the time but still the actions of the homeless and the businesses are repeated on a daily basis.
“The council are the ones who are in charge of cleaning the environment but they clean when they want clean, they come the other day and do a ‘slap-dash’ work,” charged a vendor who occupies a stall in the mall.
The vendors are pleading with the city council and the solid waste department to “look into their interest” and “get the junkies out from the mall.”
When Stabroek News contacted the City’s Solid Waste Director, Walter Narine, he contended that the vendors’ claims are false since they are the ones who also help to pollute the environment. Narine said that he would have persons from his team cleaning the mall every day and as such it is unfair to the city to be blamed.
When this newspaper asked Narine what he plans on doing to further assist the vendors, he responded that he will be attending a meeting and intends to seek permission from the mayor to visit the area and evacuate the vendors so that his team and the Fire Service can “wash down” the area and sanitize it.
Regarding the homeless persons, Narine acknowledged that it is a problem that has been ongoing for years and not much can be done. However, he plans to approach the relevant authorities such as the Police Force and shelters that assist the homeless.
The director also informed that after the cleanup, anyone found littering the area, especially vendors, will be suspended from the market.
