The Mayor & City Council yesterday reached a deal with vendors on Robb Street between Alexander and Bourda streets which would allow them to resume selling today.
The vendors can return to their stalls once they keep their environs clean and implement other changes as pinpointed by the council.
According to a press release from City Hall, Town Clerk Royston King met with the vendors yesterday morning to hammer out the new arrangement.
On Tuesday afternoon, vendors were up in arms after they turned up to set up their stalls and found barricades manned by members of the city constabulary who informed that they were not permitted to sell.
In the press release, King said the vendors were instructed to have proper receptacles to dispose of their waste in an environmentally friendly manner; store their produce at least 3ft from the ground and not to store fruits and vegetables on the ground or on old cloth or dirty materials for sale.
The vendors will also have to establish a committee of individuals to represent them and negotiate to improve their standards and also identify and appoint marshals from among themselves to assist with keeping the area clean and tidy at all times and also to prevent outsiders from breaching regulations and agreements. Additionally, they have to organise themselves into groups that will allow for the management of the entire sections.
The release pointed out that many of the vendors operating in the area reside outside of the city in areas located in Regions 2, 3, 5 and 6.
The Town Clerk during the meeting raised a number of issues including the insanitary condition of the area which included stagnant street drains on both sides of the road, a dirty road, mini dumps mushrooming and the fact that old wood and other materials are used by some vendors to build stalls and stands.
King also raised concern about the encroaching on the roadway by vendors which results in narrowing of the artery, leading to traffic congestion, pollution and disorder. This, he said, also creates a suitable environment for criminal elements.
“The indiscriminate dumping by vendors in that area has forced at least one business to consider closing and moving to another section. This action creates environmental and public health negatives. It presents a bad image of the city and affects the reputation of the municipality; and country,” the press release said.
