Dear Editor,
Inasmuch as I would like to see our city with some semblance to what it once looked like many moons ago, I am in sympathy with the vendors who have been asked to move from around the Stabroek market square permanently. According to the media reports the vendors claim that they have spent monies to construct stalls to the specification given by the city council last December and have their receipts to prove this. They claim that they were not informed of any impending and permanent removal.
I have travelled to many countries viz the Caribbean, North America and London and have observed vending in residential and commercial areas but I must admit the stalls are well built, some mobile and itinerant.
In Manhattan, there are the coffee, tea, fruits, flowers, watches etc all along 34th and other main streets and 125th street in Harlem. In the upscale neighbourhood of East Manhattan there are bookstands, flowers, sunglasses and my favourite hot roasted peanuts.
Vending is as old as prostitution though I am not canvassing for the latter but surely this landmark or heritage which we wish to preserve was so bastardized for several years that this move against vendors who depend on it for a living many being single parents is hard to understand.
I had reason to visit the Bourda Green Market late last year when it was raining and asked the vendors if this is what they were paying for – I had to use my umbrella under the covered market and it was dirty and littered with rats around.
Let’s have some orderliness with their location and allow commonsense to prevail.
Yours faithfully,
(name and address supplied)
