THE Honourable Norman Whittaker, as Minister within the Ministry of Local Government and Regional Development, yesterday met with vendors of the Mon Repos Market, East Coast Demerara, to address the issue of relocating the market.

Held at the Mon repos / La Reconnaissance Neighbourhood Democratic Council (NDC), the meeting was attended by approximately 150 vendors, who explained their situation and complained to the minister, all demanding to hear if the rumour that they would be moved was true.
The minister assured the vendors that those vending legitimately inside the market would not be removed.
He explained that, coming from a meeting with the NDC last week, and considering that some part of both tarmacs would be taken up by the road, and having also regard to issues of the vendors’ safety, the situation of vendors continuing to ply their trade on the Mon Repos and Lusignan Tarmacs was discussed; so also were alternate sites to accommodate the construction of tarmacs for vending.
The minister said he was shown those alternative sites by council officials after the meeting, and he suggested that the matter be discussed between the NDC and the vendors.
No decision regarding the immediate removal of vendors or the presence of any minister during the meeting between the NDC officials and the vendors was arrived at. In fact, it was not even discussed, the minister told the vendors.
“To the contrary, I did undertake to have representatives of the Local Government Ministry and Ministry of Public Works present to guide the meeting on issues relevant to their respective sector ministry, if needed” Minister Whittaker disclosed.
He concluded that wicked, malicious persons with their own agenda sought to, and did paint, a different picture of what had transpired. “But the PPP/C is committed, and does work with our citizens to help them to improve their livelihood, and not to aid its decline,” the minister said.
Furthermore, he said, markets generally need to be kept in proper condition to accommodate vendors and buyers; and there are certain things that can be done to improve sales and encourage customers. As far as he has seen, none of the vendors has been doing any of those things.
Moreover, he said, a market committee would need to look at issues which vendors may have, as it is solely the job of such a committee to advise and assist vendors in this regard.
Whittaker declared that the Environmental Health Officers (EHOs) have a major role to play in maintenance of market places, and he urged them to assume their responsibilities and make sure that those market places are visited regularly to ensure they are kept in a condition that is healthy for customers and vendors to be there on a daily basis.
Also present at this meeting was People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) Parliamentarian, Mrs. Indra Chanderpal, who said the Mon Repos market was in an utterly unacceptable state, and it is mainly the vendors’ responsibility to ensure their perimeters are kept clean.
She said that Government is committed to assisting vendors; and regarding the rumour about moving some of the vendors who occupy the tarmac, she assured them that they would not be moved and forgotten. Before work begins for the road expansion, vendors would be moved to another location which the Government would have secured for them, to ensure that they can carry out their daily trade.
She assured the vendors that, henceforth, she would be making regular checks at the Neighbourhood Democratic Council to observe the state of the market, in terms of hygiene and how the vendors conduct themselves.