A multi-factional committee comprising officials of the regional administrations which fall under the Ministry of Local Government and officials of the Ministry of Public Works has been working fervently in addressing illegal vending on reserves in Guyana.

However, the Neighbourhood Democratic Councils and Regional Democratic Councils would need to take a more proactive approach to dealing with the issue.
This is according to Local Government and Regional Development(LGRD) Minister, Ganga Persaud. At a press conference last Tuesday, he pointed out that the various arms of local government need to be more aggressive and pragmatic in addressing the issue of illegal vending.

Under the management of Minister within the LGRD Ministry, Mr. Norman Whittaker, the committee has gathered some information, but its members are still looking at strategies which can be used in the interim.

The LGRD Ministry would also have acquired the services of a legal person in order to have notices served on a number of illegal occupiers, He said.

The LGRD Ministry has encountered many difficulties, in that vendors have sought to take the ministry to court, challenging the legal notice and claiming that they have occupied the spots for many years.

The minister pointed out that the illegal vending in some parts of the country is interfering with residential drainage systems and is causing flooding as a result of garbage pile-up among other ills.