councillors commit to addressing issues

By Michael Khan

AS opposing town councillors continue to feud at monthly statutory meetings, vendors in the New Amsterdam Market are pleading for essential services to be provided at the facility.

At the beginning of November, the town’s mayor, Wainwright McIntosh, conducted a walk-through of the facility, and interacted with vendors in all sections of the market. Several issues were raised with him.

Subsequently, Mayor McIntosh invited the vendors to a town hall meeting, where strategies to resolve their problems were discussed.

At that meeting, a Market Vendors’ Association was formed, and executives were also elected.

Jenny Indar, Rajinie Persaud, Marcia Campbell, Tamara Davis, Omo Adams, and Andre Millington, were among the vendors who complained about the lack of essential services, and the negative impact that roadside vending has on those who occupy stalls in the market.

During the meeting, the mayor and administrative staff of the market made a commitment to work assiduously to address the concerns of the vendors.

On November 15, a team of People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) town councillors, and Community Development Officers visited the market, and held meetings with several vendors. However, it was the fishmongers who complained bitterly about the lack of potable water and irregular garbage collection, and pointed out several breaches in the air vents that thieves use to gain entry into the fisheries department.

Lorraine Mohamed, who has been a fish vendor for over 15 years, stated: “We cannot have running water in the year 2023 in the fisheries. A five-gallon pail of water is inadequate to wash-down our stalls, and clean the fish to serve our customers. It’s time for a change!” she expressed.

Meanwhile, Suhkpaul Singh explained that the drains in the fisheries are clogged, and smelly.

He called on the sanitation workers attached to the Mayor and Town Council (M&TC) to be proactive.

“The cleaners only show up conveniently, and oftentimes they seem intoxicated, and cannot do their job. We are not targetting any specific person, but we cannot be paying stall rental, vending, and taking-out our garbage at the same time,” he stressed.

Another vendor, Paul Jones, said: “We are asked to leave the market at 16:00 hours but we need to clean and secure our ice boxes, and stalls. There are porous air vents that thieves use to come in and steal our fish.”

When the mayor visited the fisheries department, vendors were told that the M&TC was aware of their constraints, and he promised to address those matters at the next statutory meeting.

On the other hand, the PPP/C team maintains that the vendors have been complaining bitterly over an extended period, and there was need for urgent corrective actions.

Councillor Nicola Luther of Constituency #6, told the Guyana Chronicle that she would be engaging the mayor and deputy mayor, and the town clerk on the issues.

“We live in this town, we do our shopping in this market, and it’s gut-wrenching to see the inhumane conditions under which these vendors have to operate. It’s time for action, and we are leaving no stone unturned,” she said.

Another Constituency #6 councillor, Cordel Austin, also spoke with this publication, and highlighted the need for a tidy market.

“If you look above at the ceiling, there’s thick cobweb; the walls are dirty, and garbage is almost everywhere. We need to fix this, and fix this now!” he emphasised.

In less than two weeks, the New Amsterdam Mayor and Town Council will be having its statutory meeting, and the PPP/C Councillors are hoping to garner the support of their A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) colleagues in working towards improving the physical environment and providing essential services for all vendors.