National Hardware says it did not ask M&CC to remove Giftland’s parking signs

The National Hardware is distancing itself from actions taken by the Mayor and City Council (M&CC) yesterday (Friday, February 03, 2017) to remove parking signs from the access road to and the compound of the Giftland Mall.

In a statement on Saturday, the National Hardware noted that it did not ask the M&CC to move Mall’s parking signs noting that the Mall “tries to falsely conclude that the M&CC is acting on NH’s behalf.”

“The only time that NH (National Hardware) had communication with the M&CC was previously when (the Mall) bullied our residents and placed a cement truck blocking their access. In fact (Giftland’s) guards verbally assaulted many of our residents, including a little old widower” the company said.

On Friday, at 12.00 pm, the City Council sent a delegation of heavily armed guards and workers to the Mall to “unlawfully” remove all the parking signage from the access Road & Mall compound.

The Management of Giftland Mall said this was done without prior notice and to allow Eddie Boyer, Chairman of National Hardware, development access as there has been ongoing discussion with the City concerning issues as it relates to the access to the Boyer Land Development.

The Mall also noted that the access road was built and paid for by  Giftland with the exception of 1 1/2 ” of asphalt surfacing from the Ministry of Public Works, and it has not been Gazetted as being part of any Government property.

However, National Hardware is contending that “the cost of asphalting of a road is a significant portion of the cost of a road, as the sub base is much cheaper than the asphalt finishing; therefore the government put a significant investment into the road in question.”

It is strongly suspecting that this is a backlash also to its current campaign of free parking, which may not be sitting well with the architects of the failed Car Parking Meters in the Capital.

It is also contending the government owns the road, which then falls under the ambit of the local authority, the M&CC. National Hardware noted that the Mall has blocked and threatened to continue blocking residents of Demerara Estates (DE) from accessing their homes, even ignoring the local authorities & police requests for them not to block the residents from their homes.

The hardware company also used the opportunity to blast the media; more so Kaieteur News for producing a biased report on the matter in an article which underscored its purchase of the development land and conveniently ignore the sweetheart deal that the Ramotar administration gave Giftland “leasing an additional five (5) acres at a low price for a parking lot in addition to its original lease for the mall.”