After years of constant complaints and expressions of frustration by vendors of the Bourda Market, the Government of Guyana (GoG) has approved the sum of $32,209,870 to rehabilitate the structure.
This is according to the Director-General of the Ministry of the Presidency, Joseph Harmon.
The contract has been awarded to Builders Hardware General Supplies and Construction. The approval comes six months after a team of senior government officials conducted a meet-and-greet with the vendors and consumers at the market.
Some of the issues that were raised at that engagement related to sanitation, leaks in the roof, and congestion on the outskirts of the market. The market has been plagued by flooding, which has resulted in millions of dollars in damages over the years.
The scope of works to be undertaken is, however, unclear at this point.
According to the National Trust of Guyana, Bourda Market is an early 20th-century structure that was named after Joseph Bourda, the owner of Bourda plantation.
The market was initially built in 1880 but was later reconstructed in 1902 to facilitate the growing number of vendors and consumers alike.
Meanwhile, the total sum of $44.9M was awarded to companies for the procurement of morning meals for nursery and primary schools in Regions 5 (Mahaica-Berbice) and six (East Berbice-Corentyne). This programme falls under the Breakfast Feeding Initiative of the Ministry of Education.
The contract in the sum of G$17,127,750 was awarded to Glenda’s Catering Service; $11,752,650 to Tee Zee Food Service; $12,656,700 to Green Apple; and $3,394,800 to Sharron Davis.
