Kleinbergs orders investigation into 'Rīgas nami' management over Meat Pavilion closure

Riga City Council Chairman Viesturs Kleinbergs (P) has instructed Riga Executive Director Jānis Lange to investigate the actions of the management of SIA "Rīgas nami", the manager of the Riga Central Market, regarding the closure of the Meat Pavilion, according to a statement from the mayor.

Kleinbergs, who personally visited the market and the Meat Pavilion, expressed dissatisfaction that although it was known as early as Wednesday that the State Construction Control Bureau (BVKB) would close the facility for meat sales, no effective solutions had been found by Saturday. He noted that traders are in despair, scrambling to move meat and find alternative sales points, but no relocation to other premises has been arranged, despite potential space in the Fish Pavilion or other pavilions in cooperation with the Food and Veterinary Service.

"Therefore, I have instructed the executive director to check whether the management has acted as a responsible owner and done everything to avoid such a situation," Kleinbergs said. He also wants to find out where the funds allocated for investments and renovations at the Central Market over the past five years have gone, as the need for serious repairs to the Meat Pavilion was known as early as 2020.

According to Kleinbergs, the priority is to find an effective solution so that meat traders can continue operating at the Central Market. If losses have occurred, the board of "Rīgas nami" must cover them from the company's own funds. The situation affects more than 50 businesses, whose employees, just before the Midsummer holiday, have been left without work and with goods that may spoil.

The BVKB banned the use of the Meat Pavilion from Thursday, June 11, based on the building's technical condition. Inspections revealed significant corrosion damage, cracks, and deformations in the steel truss support nodes of the arched roof. A 2020 inspection had already identified serious defects, but they were not addressed, and the condition has worsened. BVKB building inspectors assessed some support nodes as pre-emergency and the overall condition of the roof's load-bearing structures as unsatisfactory, posing a real risk of collapse.