Madang Urban LLG health inspectors have issued a notice to close down the Madang Town market due to unhygienic conditions.
The notice was issued to the Market Manager, Otto Janjet to stop the market from operating, as there were piles of rubbish sitting at the market for over a month.
When serving the order for closure, a commotion erupted between the health inspectors and the market manager yesterday.
Janjet told the Madang Urban LLG health inspectors that he will not close the market but will clean up the pile of rubbish that had been there.
He said the rubbish was not removed because the town dump was already full. Janjet said apart from the dump issue, they also lacked trucks for waste removal to the dumping site.
He said the market will not close but must remain open, as it was a central location for local women to sell their garden produce to earn an income for their families.
The inspectors explained that the notice for closure was issued after receiving complaints from market vendors about the bad smell coming from the decomposing pile of rubbish.
Meantime, a vendor at the market who sits near the pile of rubbish to sell her produce said the smell from the rubbish is very bad and not healthy. She said they spend money through market fees to sell food and expect the market authority to do the right thing.
The local vendors demand that a healthy and clean market is needed and that market fees collected must be used wisely for the hire of vehicles for waste removal.
A male vendor added that they survive from the market by selling and earning a little income and if closed, they will be affected.
He said the market authorities must do their job and make sure they remove the rubbish on time.