-final notice given for Parika removal

By Mandy Thompson

Vendors who operate along the Hydronie Market roadways had their pallets demolished and burnt by regional officials last Friday as part of a move to clamp down on illegal vending.

Stallholders who sell on the road leading up to the Parika Stelling are also being targeted in the campaign, and they were served with a final notice for removal last month by authorities from the local government.

Hydronie vendors are being relocated into the nearby market, while the Parika vendors remain defiant, saying they will not allow any official to move them unless they are put in an area that is conducive to business.

The Hydronie vendors affected by the demolition exercise yesterday came to Georgetown in an effort to meet with officials from the Local Government Ministry but they were told that they should speak with the Region Three Chairman Julius Faerber to arrive at a solution.

An informal meeting with the chairman yesterday gave hope to the vendors as he promised to address the situation on Saturday when the next meeting is scheduled. Some of the vendors whose pallets were burnt said that they are hoping that on Saturday approval will be given for them to vend in the area on Sundays, since that is the main market day.

There was no trace of vending outside of the Hydronie Market yesterday. However, upon entering the market, a foul smell was evident. The stench is one of the reasons that the vendors did business outside of the facility. The flooding of the market with the slightest rainfall is another reason.

Last Friday, officials from the market committee at Hydronie demolished and burnt pallets belonging to vendors in an effort to deter them from vending in the area. Lydon Fowler, a member of the market committee that was involved in the demolition exercise, said that the removal of stalls is part of the process to stop illegal vending in the area. He also stated that vendors operating along the Parika Stelling road will also be removed in the exercise during the course of the coming weeks.

‘’They were given an ultimatum by the minister since the 31 of December… road side vending should cease, but we have been flexing with the people. But it has come a time that we have to enforce the law,” he said.

He denied all allegations about the burning of pallets but claimed that they are in possession of the items seized. He also stated, when pressed further, that they burnt the pieces of wood that broke up and not stalls.

Fowler said they are doing their job in the best interest of the state and they are enforcing the law, which must be sustained. He added, “every person must come in the market and if they want extension of the market we have space to extend it…development is not an easy thing, you have to go through some hassle.”

‘In flames’

Vendors yesterday complained about the flooding of the market when it rains, which inhibits them from selling. They also related that the market is stink on a daily basis and when it rains it becomes more insanitary and they fear the spread of diseases is likelier.

One vendor, whose pallets were burnt, told this newspaper that officials from the market committee came and took away his pallets as he scrambled to remove his goods. He said they then took it to the ball field and burnt it.

When Stabroek News attempted to take a photograph of where the burning took place, this reporter was asked to leave the public ball field by a member of the Neighbourhood Democratic Council (NDC) who was assessing the ashes left by the pallets.

Another vendor, Tabata Richards, said his pallets, which were valued at $5,000, were burnt by persons carrying out the demolition exercise as well. He said, “after they burn my things, they give me a spot in the market… I went and see my stuff (pallets) in flames.”

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Parika Market

Richards also said that the spot he was given in the market was flooded with water after it rained earlier in the morning. He added, “coming in here is not comfortable because once rain falls for an hour this spot that they have given to me and other people becomes flooded.”

Another vendor was concerned about the late opening of the market in addition to the flooding. He said he gets sick from vending in the market when it rains. He added, “me ah come since six a clock and dem nah open a gate, till nine a clock dem a open de gate fuh you come in but by then time done waste.” He continued, “As’ one lil rain fall de place flood and den dem dag an so wah a defecate a mix with the water can give you sick.’’ The man also noted that he pays a $1,000 to vend at the market seven days a week but is only allowed to sell at the market three days per week when it is open.

‘Nobody to turn to’

No official from the ministry has made any effort to contact vendors in the Parika Stelling area, and they stated that their efforts to make contact with the chairman are always futile. However, they were adamant that they would not allow officials to demolish their stalls because it is their only source of income that they depend on for their survival. Despite the final notice for removal, they conducted their business as usual yesterday.

For ‘Aunty Annie,’ who sells along the stelling road, the threat of officials removing her stall is an emotional and frustrating issue. She has been vending in the area for over ten years. For her, vending is the only means through which she earns a living to support herself and daughter. “I born and grow in Parika and I can’t sell here… dem gone got to kill me here ’cause I have to sell here,’’ she said. “We does clean out here, we ask them for permission to sell, we said we gon buy bins and pay the security just fuh we survive and nobody never come and tell us nothing… we ain’t get nobody to turn to.”

Her concerns were shared by most of the vendors, who are single parents with more than one child to upkeep. The vendors said that the local government authorities plan to remove them from their current location and place them at the back of the Parika market, where persons do not shop.

Another vendor said that she was at the back of the market for a period of time but she suffered significant losses since customers do not visit stalls at the back of the market. She said, “they want put we till at de back but people nah go deh so wah we gone sell… is dem people wah passing  fuh go at de stelling does buy one and two thing and still some days you don’t sell nothing.”

They also stated that they are willing to cooperate with the authorities and work something out that will benefit both sides but the local authorities do not listen to their pleas. They, however, vowed to put up resistance when the time comes for them to be removed.

The demolition of stalls in the vicinity of the Parika Stelling has been an ongoing problem for vendors. Efforts by the relevant authorities to permanently halt illegal vending in the area have been futile.