Town Clerk Royston King said the Mayor and City Council (M&CC) was pushing to have an extension for vendors occupying private land at Lombard and Hadfield streets.
King said he was expected to meet and negotiate yesterday with Hareshnarine Sugrim, the power of attorney of the owner of the land for an additional extension.
The extension, if granted, would allow the vendors to ply their trade for an additional three months.
During the last statutory meeting King had announced that the M&CC was likely to be granted an extension. However, sections of the media had reported that Sugrim was not in favour of granting an extension to the city.
Meanwhile, the Public Health and Market Committee is holding discussions as regards permanently housing street vendors.
Stabroek News was told that the committee was also working to create a market policy which would aid in vendors having a comfortable environment in which to vend.
President David Granger during his address to the City Council, urged councillors to “find suitable places where vendors could be protected from the elements, but still have access to their customers.
There is no need, decade after decade, for poor citizens who are trying to make a living, [to] be exposed to the elements… Let us see what could be done to expand and extend markets and give those poor vendors roofs over their heads.” He noted that vending is a legitimate economic activity.
In April, after a massive cleanup campaign, vendors were relocated from selling at the Stabroek Market Square.
Some 150 vendors were temporarily relocated to Hadfield and Lombard streets.
