Vendors who sell to lodgers at the Amerindian Residence on Princes Street yesterday turned up and were greeted with a locked gate.
The vendors, who numbered about 10, told Stabroek News that when they turned up to sell yesterday they were told that they would not be allowed to vend there any longer. “We deh here since 6 o’clock this morning and this man at the gate tell we that we can’t go inside and sell. They lock the gate and lock up all of we tables inside. Now all of we food gon spoil because we can’t get to set up outside. Imagine them people inside the hostel hungry and want to come out to buy stuff but they lock them up in there like prisoners,” one of them said.
Calls to Nigel Dharamlall, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Amerindian Affairs for a comment, went unanswered up to press time yesterday.
The vendors had been served with a notice on August 9 to desist from any vending activity outside the compound as from August 12. They had accused the Ministry of Amerindian Affairs of trying to intimidate them after one of the vendors was seen picketing outside of Parliament on August 7. Dharamlall had, however, told this newspaper that this was not the case and that the ministry was trying to make the environment clean and eco-friendly.
The vendors stated that they tried to make an appointment with the Permanent Secretary but he never called them back although they were informed that he visited late Tuesday night when no one was there. “How he can look to come so late when we done gone already? We have been trying to set up an appointment for the longest while and we always getting the royal run around whenever we call he. He always saying he coming or he gon call us,” a vendor explained.
Meanwhile, Stabroek News was told that after R.K Security pulled its security personnel from several government agencies across the country, facilities like the Amerindian Residence were left without guards. “For a while now, they putting them people who does stay in the hostel to work as guard. Up to yesterday, they didn’t have a guard here. They mussy hear media coming and put some man from on the road here to guard the place so y’all can’t go in,” a vendor said.
Other vendors added that sometimes sick patients are taken from the residence to man the gates. “These people cruel in here bad. Sometimes they does call them young boys to work at the guard hut,” another vendor said, while some added that there are many other issues affecting those who were housed in the residence but no one seems to be paying attention.
“Them people who working in here don’t even do they job when the day come. Every day they does be over the road drinking and
carrying on. That is not right. They supposed to be working, no one does come and check and see what going on here. These people are not even getting proper water in here,” a female vendor added.
