The Madang town market has been closed for the second time this year; this time due to non-compliance with health standards.
Madang Urban LLG health inspectors ordered market authorities to close the market after it re-opened this week when they learnt that there were still piles of uncollected rubbish within the market area.
According to inspectors, this is unhygienic for both market vendors and customers.
Madang Urban LLG health inspectors on May 19, had issued a notice to Market Manager, Otto Janjet to close the market and remove the rubbish. Janjet had refused to accept the notice and had told the health inspectors that he would not close the market but find ways to remove the rubbish.
On May 24 the market was closed for a month, due to the killing of a market vendor from Rai Coast. Heath Inspectors said this gave enough time for the market management to remove the rubbish but that it did not happen.
A local woman who arrived at the town market to sell her produce to find the market closed was disappointed, telling the market management and the responsible authorities to fix the problem and let the market reopen. “We pay market fees when selling and the money the market management collects must be used properly and used to hire dump trucks to remove the rubbish piles” she said.