–Parliament View vendors

A HANDFUL of vendors from the Parliament View vending area staged a peaceful picketing exercise outside the Ministry of the Presidency (MoTP) (Vlissengen Road entrance) on Tuesday, to register their concerns in regard to vending at Parliament View.

Speaking on behalf of the group, Veronica Granville told the Guyana Chronicle that they walked with their small prams filled with fresh fruits from the Parliament View site, seeking to have an audience with President Granger.

The vendors displayed placards as they stood outside the MoTP, hoping some high official would speak with them, since previous meetings with the Mayor and City Council (M&CC) had not yielded favourable results. Granville said the situation has reached boiling point for them because the location at which they currently ply their trade is unsuitable for vending, and they are unable to make any money.

She explained that some vendors ply their trade outside of the Parliament View site, and customers who come to Parliament View make purchases from those vendors. Thus legitimate vendors go home empty-handed many days, and suffer the loss of their perishables.

She also said that Parliament View vendors would some days sling oranges on their shoulders to sell on the roadside, but they would be accosted by City Constables and would be locked up and fined $10,000 for unauthorised vending.

In addition, Granville pointed out that their fruits would be taken away by a certain City Constabulary officer [name provided] who has plantain chip and music carts on the roadside at the Croal Street location.

Granville said, “We are crying out for help, because we are suffering and this is our livelihood.” She related that the vendors would continue the protest until their concerns are addressed; and that, hope soon.