Leonora market vendors on the West Coast of Demerara will now benefit from a more spacious and enabling business environment, as a new tarmac has been completed to accommodate them.
This includes sanitary facilities, upgraded drainage, and a dedicated parking lot for a more positive experience for both vendors and customers.
This development stemmed from President, Dr Mohamed Irfaan Ali’s visit back in 2022, when he recognised the challenges faced by the market. An influx of vendors had created congestion and impacted established vendors. In response to these concerns, the President initiated a plan to construct the new tarmac and upgrade the access road.
In December 2022, a $149 million contract was signed for the 8000sq. meter tarmac.
With the tarmac complete, vendors will be relocated soon. This will allow for the planned upgrades to the access road to begin, improving overall traffic flow and market accessibility.
President Ali on Saturday morning visited the Leonora Market once again, where he highlighted his commitment to replicating such improvements across the country.
“This will be the design of all the markets we are looking at nationally. Concrete drains, washrooms, accessibility, parking, washroom facilities. We are going to do a highway coming in, and [all the vendors] will come here, so we won’t have any issues,” the President said.
Meanwhile, the Minister within the Ministry of Public Works, Deodat Indar will return to the market in the new week to engage vendors and begin the relocation process.
Minister Indar said that he will be working alongside the local government ministry for this phase.
“We are now doing further work. That initial market tarmac is now completed. So, we have to start moving people in because we have to do the road as well. I think on Tuesday we will meet with the vendors. We can have a transitional period where they come in and we will have to demarcate here as well,” he told the Department of Public Information (DPI).
A similar process will also soon begin at the Hydronie Market on the East Bank of Essequibo. The President also conducted an assessment of the prices for vegetables and other commodities, observing that prices remain stable.
Crops such as plantains, eddoes, and potatoes are being sold at $100 per pound, while vegetables such as celery and bora are priced at $200 per parcel.
President Ali was accompanied by the Minister of Education Priya Manickchand, the Minister within the Ministry of Local Government and Regional Development Anand Persaud, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Local Government and Regional Development, Miguel Shaun Choo-Kang, and regional officials. (DPI)
