Over $356M in contracts signed for upgrades to Parika, Leonora markets

Residents and vendors in Region Three will benefit from upgrades to the Parika and Leonora markets.

The two contracts for the works cost approximately $356.245 million and will enable vendors to ply their trade in a designated area, providing them with opportunities for enhanced trade.

The Department of Public Information (DPI) spoke to a few vendors, who were elated at the government’s interventions.

One such resident was Jason McKenzie, who said that the improvements to the markets will do wonders for his craft business.

“It will give us a boost in the business sector. It’s going to be more organised, and easier for us to put forward our produce,” he noted.

Another resident, Siddiqi Hanif, expressed that he appreciates the level of commitment to improving the business prospects of residents in the community.

He said, “I want to say how happy I am. The signing of this contract is one of the biggest leaps that we have seen in the direction of the president’s initiative to uplift our market. We hope that when the tarmac is completed, the vendors will comply with the requirements. So, we would like to thank the president for this initiative and I know that he has a lot more in the pipeline for our region.”

Rajdai Ramotar,who has been a vendor for 50 years, thanked President Dr Mohamed Irfaan Ali for taking the initiative, stating, “I’m happy about it because if everybody is in here, it’s going to be better. Since everybody will be in the same place, customers won’t buy on the road and turn around to go home. They will be coming in, and walking around to see what they need.”

The signing ceremony was led by Local Government and Regional Development Minister, Nigel Dharamlall, and Minister within the Ministry of Public Works, Deodat Indar.

Minister Indar assured residents that this development is only one aspect of the greater plan to foster development in region three.

The minister said, “We respect everybody and their right to earn a living. We applaud the people coming out to make an honest living, and we want to make sure that that honest living and the standard is improved.”

Meanwhile, Minister Dharamlall said the modernisation of the markets will benefit vendors who conduct business on the parapets, providing them with a tarmac so that vending is done in a healthy manner.

“We believe that we have to make this centre of business much more upgraded and enhanced. We expect that vendors are going to use this opportunity to improve their businesses,” he said.

Moreover, he assured vendors that they will not be displaced during the construction process, which is expected to last five months.

Minister Dharamlall affirmed, “While the construction is taking place no one is going to be affected in the sense that we don’t expect you to be moving out. What we expect, at the end of the five months, is that the vendors who are on the roads will also be able to come back into the market and occupy it,”

He added that, “While we are developing as a country, we also have to create a better environment for people to do their business. This is an investment in your business. Regions three and four are where a lot of the development is currently taking place, and you have to grasp the opportunity now and make sure that you are part of this bigger plan of President Ali and the PPP/C government.”