MINISTER within the Ministry of Local Government and Regional Development, Mr. Norman Whittaker, has warned that vending along the shoulders of the main Essequibo Coast public road will not be allowed, especially at Charity. Speaking at the handing over ceremony for a new market tarmac at Charity on Thursday, the minister said the handing over of the all-weather tarmac is Government’s latest effort to get people to move away from roadside vending.
The minister said he is pleased that some vendors have made efforts to utilise the tarmac, but he still feels it is underutilised.
According to the minister, Cabinet has moved to have all the open air market tarmacs across the country fully utilized, because it is an investment of people’s money.
Minister Whittaker called for vendors on the Charity roadside to make their way into the new tarmac.
The minister warned that if vendors still remained on the roadside, then the next move will be to engage the Minister of Home Affairs and the Minister of Public Works to have roadside vendors forcefully removed.
He said government wants to reclaim the pavements and drainage trenches, and will be moving swiftly to have vendors and illegal structures over trenches removed.
The minister said he had spoken with a group of vendors who were selling along the Bartica road shoulders recently, and they informed him that they had to sell on the roadside because business is slow in the market and there is no space; but while visiting the market, he observed some 20 stalls unoccupied.
The minister pointed out that roadside vending is prevalent in many areas across the country, and that government is moving to have the practice corrected.
After handing over the tarmac to the Charity-Urasara Neighbourhood Democratic Council and the market committee, the minister called for creation of a register with the names of all vendors who would be operating on the tarmac. He called for business to be conducted in a very orderly manner, with separate sections for meat, fish and groceries; and for stalls to be brightly painted and neatly constructed.
So far, the Local Government Ministry has handed over six tarmacs to NDCs; another five will be handed over shortly.
The minister, accompanied by Chairman of Region Two, Mr Parmanand Persaud, Councillors of the Charity NDC, and Regional Development Officer, Mr Daneshwar Gangoo, walked around the Charity Market area and inspected drains and road shoulders.