More than 20 vendors who operated outside the Parika Market, on the East Bank of Essequibo, were yesterday pondering their next move after their stalls were dismantled by a Works Ministry demolition team late Monday afternoon.
Sometime around 5 pm on Monday, the demolition crew informed the vendors that they were ordered by the Works Ministry to dismantle the stalls since the vendors were operating illegally along the reserve.
Stabroek News made several unsuccessful attempts yesterday to reach Minister Robeson Benn on the issue. However, a source within the ministry noted that the minister met with the vendors at Parika yesterday to discuss the issue. It was noted that the move by the Works Ministry was to facilitate plans for modifications to be made to the stelling, with the anticipated arrival of two roll-on, roll-off passenger vessels from China.
Most of the affected vendors are single mothers, many of whom vend perishables such as fruits and one of them said that the explanations provided by the Works Minister were “too short-sighted.” “How can you ask us the people to vote you back as government, you tell me?” the man questioned.
He explained that the vendors were not provided with any notice by the Works Ministry on the issue, while the Local Government Ministry was said to be looking into the interests of the vendors. “Imagine when dem a bruck down a we stall, it had people from the [neighbourhood Democratic Council] collecting money which we pay weekly and some daily for selling hey,’ the angry man noted.
Market vendor Gaitree (only name given) told Stabroek News that the stall owners were surprised by the move, since there was an existing arrangement between the vendors and the Parika/Mora NDC. Attempts by this newspaper to reach Chairman of the NDC Khrishna Samlall were also unsuccessful as his mobile phone went to voice mail.
The agreement stemmed from previous discussions which the NDC held with the vendors over the years as well as another agreement which the late Winston Murray and Mervyn Williams of the PNCR brokered on behalf of the vendors with the Local Government Ministry under the helm of former minister Kellawan Lall.
Williams told Stabroek News yesterday that the issue dates back to 2005/06 when he had made representations on behalf of the vendors who had no proper facility to vend. He said that the vendors had been operating outside the Parika Market in recent years and the authorities had agreed to permit them to sell their goods outside the market complex until a more viable solution could have been determined. He said that he was in the area when the demolition activity was being undertaken on Monday and according to him, persons produced several receipts which indicated that they had been “paying to operate at the area under an existing arrangement.”
He said that the move by the Works Ministry, “speaks of the character of the government, for a minister to make such a move at this time that he took it upon himself to dismantle the stalls without care or consideration for people’s livelihoods.”
