.jpg)
FIFTY- THREE vendors were yesterday registered to continue selling outside the Stabroek Market in Georgetown, and others affected by the campaign to restore order in the Square are to be relocated to designated areas in the city.
At a meeting, officials again warned vendors who hawk their wares in the vicinity of the Stabroek Market to keep the area clean, clear and crime-free.
The warning came yesterday morning when they met Minister of Local Government and Regional Development, Kellawan Lall, Minister of Transport and Hydraulics, Robeson Benn, Assistant Police Commissioner, George Vyphuis, Local Government Permanent Secretary, Nigel Dharamlall, and Town Clerk, Yonette Pluck among other City Council officials.
The meeting at the Local Government Ministry was a follow-up to last Thursday’s warning that those who have illegal structures erected along Water, America and Hinck streets will be removed.
Some ‘Stabroek Square’ vendors who met President Bharrat Jagdeo Friday on the issue will be allowed to continue vending, but they were also firmly advised that illegalities will not be condoned.
Police and the City Council began clearing the square of illegal shops and other structures after a fragmentation grenade exploded near a stall Wednesday, killing the man carrying the device and injuring 19 others.
Minister Lall yesterday cautioned the vendors who are being allowed to reopen their stalls along the sections that were cleared, not to allow anyone not supposed to be there, in and around their stalls.
They also have to keep their surroundings clean, are not allowed to have multiple stalls, and will be allowed to operate from 06:00h to 18:00h in their designated area.
“When you go back there, please see to it that you don’t bring all your stocks and get the place looking shabby,” Lall urged the vendors.
He said the government will be mapping out a legally binding agreement that the vendors will have to sign, explaining that the document will clearly state that these persons are being allowed to sell outside of the market, their civic responsibilities to keep the place habitable and that all stalls are non-transferable and not for sale.
The minister said the demolition crew will continue to dismantle illegal stalls, and remove all those who are clogging up the area.
The operation covers `rum shops’ and barber shops, persons selling out of car trunks, minibuses and trucks, as well as vendors blocking the entrances to the ferry stelling and the Stabroek Market.
“Those people that are below the clock (of the market)…they will have to clear from the main entrance,” Lall said. The other two entrances to the market are also slated to be cleared.
The minister stressed that if these persons are unwilling to move, they will be removed by the authorities.
He said the government’s intention is to spruce up the marketplace, once again making it a central tourist attraction in the capital city, while discouraging all illegal activities.
Lall said police officers and officials from the Guyana Revenue Authority will be visiting the Stabroek area during next week to seize all liquor being sold, and fine those selling it.
He said the law clearly states that no alcoholic beverages should be sold in any designated market area, and officials intend to enforce that law.
Minister Benn reiterated the government’s intention to support proper order and development in all markets, noting that without order there can be no progress.
“I want to assure you that we want to work with you to develop a framework in which your livelihood activities could proceed in an orderly fashion and that it doesn’t prove inimical or unsafe to other Guyanese people,” he told the vendors.
Assistant Commissioner Vyphuis also assured them that the job of the police is not to hassle them or take away their livelihood, but to ensure that law and order is maintained.
At a meeting, officials again warned vendors who hawk their wares in the vicinity of the Stabroek Market to keep the area clean, clear and crime-free.
The warning came yesterday morning when they met Minister of Local Government and Regional Development, Kellawan Lall, Minister of Transport and Hydraulics, Robeson Benn, Assistant Police Commissioner, George Vyphuis, Local Government Permanent Secretary, Nigel Dharamlall, and Town Clerk, Yonette Pluck among other City Council officials.
The meeting at the Local Government Ministry was a follow-up to last Thursday’s warning that those who have illegal structures erected along Water, America and Hinck streets will be removed.
Some ‘Stabroek Square’ vendors who met President Bharrat Jagdeo Friday on the issue will be allowed to continue vending, but they were also firmly advised that illegalities will not be condoned.
Police and the City Council began clearing the square of illegal shops and other structures after a fragmentation grenade exploded near a stall Wednesday, killing the man carrying the device and injuring 19 others.
Minister Lall yesterday cautioned the vendors who are being allowed to reopen their stalls along the sections that were cleared, not to allow anyone not supposed to be there, in and around their stalls.
They also have to keep their surroundings clean, are not allowed to have multiple stalls, and will be allowed to operate from 06:00h to 18:00h in their designated area.
“When you go back there, please see to it that you don’t bring all your stocks and get the place looking shabby,” Lall urged the vendors.
He said the government will be mapping out a legally binding agreement that the vendors will have to sign, explaining that the document will clearly state that these persons are being allowed to sell outside of the market, their civic responsibilities to keep the place habitable and that all stalls are non-transferable and not for sale.
The minister said the demolition crew will continue to dismantle illegal stalls, and remove all those who are clogging up the area.
The operation covers `rum shops’ and barber shops, persons selling out of car trunks, minibuses and trucks, as well as vendors blocking the entrances to the ferry stelling and the Stabroek Market.
“Those people that are below the clock (of the market)…they will have to clear from the main entrance,” Lall said. The other two entrances to the market are also slated to be cleared.
The minister stressed that if these persons are unwilling to move, they will be removed by the authorities.
He said the government’s intention is to spruce up the marketplace, once again making it a central tourist attraction in the capital city, while discouraging all illegal activities.
Lall said police officers and officials from the Guyana Revenue Authority will be visiting the Stabroek area during next week to seize all liquor being sold, and fine those selling it.
He said the law clearly states that no alcoholic beverages should be sold in any designated market area, and officials intend to enforce that law.
Minister Benn reiterated the government’s intention to support proper order and development in all markets, noting that without order there can be no progress.
“I want to assure you that we want to work with you to develop a framework in which your livelihood activities could proceed in an orderly fashion and that it doesn’t prove inimical or unsafe to other Guyanese people,” he told the vendors.
Assistant Commissioner Vyphuis also assured them that the job of the police is not to hassle them or take away their livelihood, but to ensure that law and order is maintained.
