AT a media briefing recently at City Hall, acting Town Clerk Ms. Carol Sooba, said that lately the situation has gotten out of control and it is high time that serious measures be taken to remove the illegal vendors and to ensure that there is absolutely no more illegal roadside vending.
Sooba said that she is somewhat shocked at the illegal roadside vending situation in areas of Water Street, Regent Street, Wellington Street and other locations in Georgetown where people have erected large sheds and illegal vending “contraptions” to ply their trade.
According to Ms. Sooba, the pile up of garbage is mostly because of these persons, while the enforcement arm of City Council has been lacking in their duty to legally prosecute them.
She noted unsatisfactory job performance not only in the enforcement of the law dealing with illegal vending, but in all other areas the necessary enforcement has been lacking.
The last time I had a real good laugh was laughing at Freddie Kissoon but this takes the cake.
I was on the ground rolling with so much laughter after reading this.
It would be very unfair not to print this since I am one who for many years had been writing about squatting, illegal vending and the danger posed by pit-bull dogs.
How could acting Town Clerk Sooba be shocked at the unsightly garbage and the stench that emanates for this pile of filth for years now?
Perhaps this woman was not residing in Guyana for many years, but I can tell you I visit once or twice a year and for years now I had been seeing this filth grow and grow where the stench is beyond imagination.
No! Even if she were a visitor like myself she should have seen the filth and smell the stench.
.
Only last August I was there and was on the seawall with my family having pizza when I saw people dumping garbage on the ground and I said to my family, if I were in position in Guyana, they would never see garbage on that very area of their seawall.
I explained to them that these same people that dump their filth on the ground I would make them live in real filth for just 24 hours and bet they won’t litter ever again.
For years I had been writing asking government to take serious actions against illegal squatting, illegal vending and pit bull dogs.
When the Berbice Bridge opened I was the first to write urging and pleading with government not to allow illegal vending on and around that bridge.
I was the first to write asking government not to allow illegal vending on the new Diamond scheme entry/exit road.
I was the first to write, urging government to take a serious look at those vicious pit bull dogs.
Two days after I wrote that letter there were major problems with those dogs.
For this lady to now come to say she is shocked makes me, I don’t know, if I am really sad or angry.
Many letter writers, like myself, will continue to urge government to put an end to corporal punishment loud “boom boom” music and tinted vehicle glass.
With regard to tint on a vehicle, it could be 40% front and 60% back, but not those tints I saw while in Guyana on some vehicles.
Every citizen must abide by the laws because it seems only a handful of certain citizens can get away with just about any and everything in Guyana.