After several complaints from vendors occupying the Parliament View Mall at Hadfield and Lombard streets earlier this week, Town Clerk Royston King yesterday paid a visit to the area to offer some relief to the vendors.
On Tuesday Stabroek News had reported that several vendors had voiced concern about the conditions under which they have to vend when it rains. When this newspaper had visited the location on Monday, the vendors were busy sweeping out water from their stall space and the entrance.
Several of the vendors had said that they were gravely affected by the water that had become lodged in the area.
King told Stabroek News that they visited the mall yesterday to have a first hand look after they had received reports that several of the tents were destroyed by rain and that there was slight overtopping. “A visit to the site yesterday confirmed some of the reports. The City Engineer will now move to take corrective action almost immediately. Tents will also be replaced. We will also ensure that the depressions… surface of facility is filled in,” King said.
He added that, ”we are satisfied that vendors are settled in and cooperating despite the fact that there is some dissatisfaction among some of them.”
Stressing that the current situation is temporary, he said that, “this is just a temporary arrangement. We will be removing all vendors and put them under a roof and off the streets. The streets are for walking and they should not be encumbered by vendors,” the Town Clerk said.
He also told this newspaper that the council was able to get a verbal agreement from the owner of the plot of land on which the vendors are presently plying their trade for an additional three months.
In April, City Hall had signed a three-month contract to utilise the vacant lot that once housed a Royal Castle outlet for vending purposes. The council had also installed lights and resurfaced the lot, but problems continue to persist over the drainage of the area which sees vendors being faced with water lodging in their stalls.
The Town Clerk added that the council is also currently looking at several permanent options for the vendors. “We are currently looking at several options. We are thinking about extending the northern section of Stabroek Market which will see us sustaining the architectural design of the market. We are also seeking permission from Government to use the building currently used by the Social Protection Ministry and to connect that building to the stelling view mall.”
“The third option is rearranging internal stalls in the Stabroek Market and we are also examining the old GNCB bank as an option as well,” King said.
