The Council will not accept liability for persons who endanger themselves on the dangerous landing of Stabroek – the City Engineer
Not Rehanna Ramsay
Kaieteur News – In the wake of reports of people living in the increasingly derelict and dangerous Stabroek Market Wharf, Georgetown Council City Engineer Colvern Venture warns that the borough will not accept liability for people who put themselves at risk.
“We have warned people not to go there and even distance themselves from the area. So to hear that people are still going to surprise me, ”Venture said of the news that two shacks had been built at the now abandoned jetty.
The jetty was once a slate that housed the operations of more than 80 Stabroek Market stallholders to tear it down and rebuild. Due to the dangers posed by the degraded structure to stallholders and consumers alike, they have been relocated to a nearby minibus park. The area was then eliminated as a danger zone or construction site.
However, there have recently been complaints that electric wires, light bulbs and other fixtures, including laundry lines, have been placed on the jetty in jackets, apparently built for residential purposes.
Kaieteur News understands that the residents of the shales can be seen operating within the danger zone on any given day. Venture said that since the matter was brought to its attention, the city’s constabulary will have to take action.
“I will bring this to the attention of the city constable to remove those burdens. There is no one to be there, ”he said, noting that the Council is still deciding on the way forward with the jetty.
A city official noted that the council has signed a document from the Ministry of Public Works for the jetty restoration, but the work will take some consideration between the two agencies.
As such, Venture noted that consultations are ongoing for the construction of the new jetty. Meanwhile, City Mayor Ubraj Narine expressed similar concern. He noted that the wharf continued to pose a danger to water taxi operators and those crossing the area on a daily basis.
The Mayor stressed that the Council will accept no liability for any loss, damage, injury, death to anyone challenging the notice to leave the deteriorating structure. The Mayor also noted that the Ministry of Public Works must have input on moving the Council forward with the final demolition and clean up of the jetty.
Meanwhile, earlier this year, the Ministry of Public Works announced that work to restore the Stabroek Market Wharf will take place within three years. Slate was the project to be part of a Caribbean Development Bank-funded waterfront development (CDC) initiative, which allocated $ 80 million for the preliminary work
According to the Ministry, $ 67.1 M has already been spent on upgrades to the Vreed-en-Hoop and Stabroek ferries while climate design work and feasibility studies for the new stellings have been completed under the expenditure. The plan to transform the jetty into a commercial waterfront facility had previously been approved by the Ministry of Public Works.
The Ministry had signed a document for the development of the waterfront, a modernized facility that can be of benefit to those who drive their trade and is also a major tourist attraction. However, the project provided for under the government grant of £ 53.2M from the UK-Caribbean Infrastructure Partnership Fund (UKCIF) was not secured to improve or create new infrastructure to drive economic growth and development.
The new waterfront facility was supposed to accommodate the vendors who had been removed from the facility and relocated. M&CC Georgetown had stated that until the jetty could be repaired, vendors in that area would remain in the Route 42 mini bus park square.