Vendors of the East Ruimveldt Market are upset with a Local Government Ministry decision to greenlight rehabilitation works that requires them to vacate the area at a time when they usually see an increase in sales.
When Sunday Stabroek visited the market yesterday, some of the vendors were at their stalls operating, while some were surrounded by caution tape in the areas where works are to be done.
The vendors related to this newspaper that the rehabilitation works began on Friday and from what they have been told, the Mayor and City Council (M&CC) was not informed that works would have been starting in December.
A vendor, who did not want to be named, told this newspaper that there had been a meeting in October when there was an agreement to have the market repaired in November. However, no one visited the market to start the repairs even though the vendors had prepared and were ready to close until the repairs were done. Instead, persons went to the market last week to “measure up” and see what repairs need to be done, the vendor said.
Some of the vendors told this newspaper that the rehabilitation is not what they have an issue with but the requirement that they leave during the Christmas season. One of the stallholders, who requested anonymity, said that vendors invested a lot of money in their businesses by purchasing stuff to sell during this season because it’s the time of year when many people will be shopping. Asking the vendors to leave for the repairs to be done would mean a loss, the vendor added.
This newspaper was told that the vendors asked for the repairs to be pushed back to a later time but the workers said that if the repairs aren’t completed by December 28, then “they would not get their money”. The stallholder said that she thinks that it is selfish and unreasonable for these persons to do the repairs when the agreement was for an earlier time when the vendors’ business would not be affected.
In October, Minister within the Ministry of Local Government and Regional Development Anand Persaud announced that some $14 million was assigned for rehabilitation of the East Ruimveldt and Albouystown (La Penitence) markets. According to the Department of Public Information (DPI), the Minister had said that works were expected to be completed by year end. DPI said that Persaud, accompanied by an engineer and members of the Georgetown Mayor and City Council, conducted an assessment of both markets.
