Minister Lall advises that itinerant vendors be controlled
THE spanking New Vendors Mall on Water Street, Georgetown, was officially opened on Saturday.

The facility was constructed at a cost of approximately G$100M and now holds some 184 stalls, Clerk of Markets Mr. Schulder Griffith said yesterday at the opening ceremony.

It features large stalls and wide lanes which allow for customer friendly shopping, less congestion and the display of a wide variety of goods and services.

Businesses there include grocery stalls, salons, barber shops, boutiques, cafeteria, internet café, haberdashery, variety stalls, and soon to be opened, a printing service and a pharmacy.

The mall also sports a common eating area where shoppers can relax.

Construction of all stalls was undertaken by vendors themselves under the guidance of the City Engineer’s Department and was monitored by Deputy Clerk of Markets Mr. Errol Brisport.

Along with the Clerk of Markets and his Deputy, other officials who attended the ceremony were Mayor of Georgetown Mr. Hamilton Green, Deputy Mayor Mr. Robert Williams, and Minister of Local Government and Regional Development Mr. Kellawan Lall.

Local Government Minister Mr. Kellawan Lall, at left, with a young girl about to cut the red ribbon to declare the mall open. At right is Mayor Hamilton Green.

In his address, Mayor Green said he is confident that the new mall will have a deep impact on the environment in which it is located.

He urged stallholders to ensure that there is no littering, no vulgarity and no hangings of items on the fence and gates.

The Mayor pointed out that though the complaint of unfair competition from external sources exists, stallholders will be given special treatment in that Guyana Power and Light (GPL) will not be charging them at the regular commercial rate.

He said they are also working along with the Guyana Telephone and Telegraph (GT&T) and the Guyana Water Incorporated (GWI) to ensure these services are provided.

In his opening remarks, Minister Lall said he wished to inform that “Government does not owe the City Council a single cent at the moment,” noting that it has already paid up its taxes for the third quarter and continues to pay them when due.

He encouraged the Mayor to make a request of President Bharrat Jagdeo if the Council needs an advance in taxes.

Speaking about the new facility, Minister Lall advised vendors to take possession of the mall, not just in sense of occupying the stalls, but in maintaining an environment that is conducive to shopping.

He observed that in many parts of the City, school children have to mix with traffic because itinerant vendors are blocking the streets and pavements. “Though it’s true that many are being allowed to vend in various parts of the city, it must not be done disorderly,” he said.

He asked the Mayor to make sure that the pavement along the new mall is kept free of such vendors. “Why would we want to go into these hundreds of millions of dollars of investment and then find another set of people coming here? We therefore end up back at square one,” he lamented.

He further charged the City Council to take a decision as to how many people could be accommodated to do vending in the city. “It cannot go on unendingly. We should not always say it’s a complex issue. At some point in time, we have to say we cannot accommodate more people,” the Minister noted.

He advised that, at the next meeting of the Council, the Mayor introduce a motion to change the By Law of the capital so as to ensure that no vending is done along the pavement of the new mall.

The Minister also recommended that a special account be set up to hold a percentage of the proceeds of rates so that maintenance works could be done.

He said such an arrangement is in place at the Stabroek Market and expressed hope for it to be done at the other municipal markets.

Minister Lall concluded his speech by ensuring the vendors that he will be visiting them from time to time.

The Clerk of Markets said crucial to the survival of any market is the removal of unfair competition from its environs and recommended that the City Constabulary be very firm with vendors who contravene the provisions of the City Government By Laws.

Referring to the new mall, Griffith said: “This project may not be one hundred percent complete as yet, but when you consider where we were as against where we are today, I am sure that you will agree that we have justifiable reasons to feel proud.”

“This is indeed a true example of how public/private partnership and cooperation can truly aid in development at all levels,” he said.