EAST RUIMVELDT MARKET; An eye sore, security predicament, health & safety hazard

Savitri Laikram

The East Ruimveldt Market located south of the city is in slow-motion deterioration mode. This is the sentiment of both shoppers and vendors.

A recent visit to the facility by BIG Smith News Watch exposed the apparent lack of interest by City Hall and the Georgetown Municipality which have oversight for markets within the city.

A faulty electrical network, asbestos roof, clogged drains, overgrowth surrounding,  hop-scotch roadways, and an overall dismal atmosphere within the facility’s perimeter are just some of the characteristics of the East Ruimveldt Market.

Vendors and shoppers alike have criticized the council for what they call a lack of proper management of the market and its facilities. For the most part, the roof of the market is infested by termites.

Low-hanging powerlines are also of concern to persons who access the market, even as they pointed to the risks and threat to life and limb with the wires in their current state which becomes an ever greater danger whenever it rains.

BIG Smith News Watch was informed that the market authorities have been informed of the state the facility is in, pleads were also made to Guyana Power and Light to rectify the electrical hazard at the market but the situation remains the same.

One stallholder told this publication that the garbage collection schedule is not adequate for the market and in most cases, garbage trucks will come to the facility and refuse to properly clear the waste. This forces the burning of garbage which according to the vendors, bring to the fore, the issue of smoke pollution.