AFTER years of pleading for justice and satisfaction, vendors at the Stabroek Market will finally get what they have long yearned for, as the Mayor and City Council (M&C) is on the move to address issues affecting those individuals in phases.

During a visit to the Stabroek Market, several issues were highlighted by the vendors, one of which is that the roof within the market is constantly leaking because there are major holes and breakages in the ceiling.

They pleaded with this publication, since, every time it rains, there is a massive build-up of water, causing stalls to be flooded, vendors to lose stocks, and the state of area to be unpleasant — all of which cause customers to refrain from entering the market.

Some of these vendors are poverty straitened, and depend on what little they offer in the market as their main source of income; and if they are constantly losing their supplies, it makes life for them difficult.

Apart from the internal problems, the vendors also complained that street vendors are decimating their sales, because in most instances the customers gain immediate access to the street vendors and completely disregard the stall operators within the market. This, they contend, is unfair because stall owners pay a monthly rental for the occupation of the stalls, whilst street vendors pay nothing whatsoever for occupying wherever they are.
Those are some of the immediate problems the vendors spoke about from a whole host of problems they face.

Asked to comment on these issues, Town Clerk Royston King declared that the issues at the Stabroek Market will be dealt with in phases. He highlighted that there is a plan to repair the Stabroek Market wharf, and he said the council is working collaboratively with the Ministry of Public Infrastructure in this regard.

“Currently, we are looking to the level of council to do repair works to the market itself, where it has been reported there are major leaks. (Those repairs) will start in another 2-3 weeks,” King said.
As pertains to the issue of street vending, he noted that street vending is complex and is being addressed through a special programme, because those vendors also could not just be removed.
However, council is currently working on a plan to relocate street vendors and so organise them that they could comfortably do business. (Navendra Seoraj)