Vice President, Bharrat Jagdeo has criticised as “callous” a decision of the Ministry of Public Works which had sent notices to some 50 vendors on the Plaisance Railway Embankment ‘Line Top’ on the East Coast Demerara, instructing them to remove within seven days.
The notice informed that this was necessary to facilitate the construction of a planned four-lane highway.
However, both vendors and residents voiced their concerns on social media and in person at what they felt was short notice.
Their voices were heard and on Tuesday, Jagdeo accompanied by Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports, Charles Ramson (Jnr) and Minister within the Office of the Prime Minister, Kwame McCoy showed up at Plaisance where they held a meeting with the disgruntled vendors and residents at the Plaisance Primary School, while protest action took place outside the school. Minister of Public Works Juan Edghill arrived a few hours after the meeting commenced.
There was unrest outside of the site of the meeting with some vendors clamouring to get into the meeting and other trying to stop some persons from entering. Stabroek News was not allowed into the building but later spoke to persons who were inside and outside of the building.
At the meeting, the vendors were able to vent their concerns and Jagdeo acknowledged that the ministers should have not acted in the manner they did.
“Let me say this from a government perspective that the way that the notice was sent out was done in a very callous manner. That should have never happened. The ministers, we have two ministers in this Ministry, Edghill and (Deodat) Indar, and they should have come and had a discussion with the people”, Jagdeo said.
Jagdeo also noted that the time given was unheard of especially since some of the vendors have been plying their trade for years.
“Ten days is unheard of, and then especially if they have been there plying their living for such a long time.”
While Jagdeo mentioned 10 days, vendors that Stabroek News spoke with said it was seven days.
The Vice President said that the ministers should have done what he and his other ministers were doing, that is, to come out and listen to the concerns before acting.
“Today I’m here for us to find a solution. The road has to be built, the four-lane road, because it’s essential. You see our country is changing and we have to get this done, but we have to sit with every single person who is vending and find some alternative arrangement for them to continue to sell”, he said.
Jagdeo assured the gathering that he has heard their concerns and will be looking into the issue with the aim of finding some sort of alternative, since the road will be built despite some residents opining that the road is not necessary.
Ivan Sunders, a long-time resident of the village said that the road project should not happen since it will cause a lot of problems.
Cluster up
“Nobody has a problem with infrastructure and so, but that particular area is too cluster up to get a four-lane. For the children to cross that road, it’s a lot of problems in the mornings when it turn into a one-lane going down to town. What I think, is that they should bypass the area, that they don’t have the space to open too wide and use the areas them because I see they do it at certain places, even to the public road. So, that four-way thing is inconveniencing people, ‘taking people out of bread’, making it more difficult for children to cross the road. It got a lot of issues where that is concern.
There is need for them to come and visit the village people and tell them the plan they have in mind and ask what people’s opinions are.”
He noted that they did the opposite, and told folk they have to move in short time which remains unfair.
“They just came and share notice ok, you got to move, and people got to move in seven days. You can’t do things like that because when you doing things like that you have to trouble the market. You have to trouble history sites at Prince William Street. It got a lot of things you have to trouble, just to put your road. And, you just thinking about putting roads, you just not thinking of anything else”, he added.
Sunder was of the opinion that even in the Plaisance Primary School meeting, the right people were not there to voice their concerns, only mostly those aligned with the government.
Amanda Binner, a vendor, said that moving the vendors will mean an end to the sales they would normally make and this by extension will affect their livelihoods.
“Moving us from out here, it’s going to be tough because it’s only drive-by selling. People that pass in their vehicles is the one that stop and buy from us and if they decide to put us down in a street, we won’t really get sales. And, moving us right now and putting us somewhere we don’t even know where we are going, it’s like the end of things, its real tough and as a single parent, it’s real tough because this is what I’m depending on at the end of the day. This is what gives me my income”, she said.
Differences
Differences in the administration over how to proceed surfaced after Stabroek News visited Plaisance on Monday to speak to the affected vendors. On June 27th Stabroek News reported that the vendors had complained bitterly about the short notice and that as a consequence the government would be holding a meeting in the community that day on the way forward. The Ministry of Public Works then issued a statement saying it was unaware of any government meeting there that day. Nonetheless, Edghill did turn up belatedly for the meeting on June 27 at the Plaisance Primary School.
The letter to the residents from the Ministry of Public Works signed by Chief Works Officer, Ron Rahaman, and titled ‘Encumbrances of the road along the East Coast Demerara Public Road’ said that the road reserve along the entire public road network is the property of the Government of Guyana and that the ministry observed persons had occupied/encroached upon the road reserve with tractors, trailers, derelict vehicles, and roadside vending etc. The missive then instructed that all encroachment on the road reserve be removed within seven days. Failure to comply will result in the ministry utilizing all appropriate measures to have those encumbrances removed and charges instituted in accordance with Chapter 51:01 of the Road Act of the Laws of Guyana.
Edghill told Stabroek News on the evening of June 26 that the four-lane road project is underway from Sheriff Street and will continue along the railway embankment area.
He added that the area that is being occupied by the vendors is a government reserve and as such they ought to remove, “they are occupying the government reserve and they need to remove from there.”
The Plaisance Railway Embankment has been occupied for a number of years by vegetables, food and beverage vendors. It is also a popular hangout spot where food and beverage vendors ply their trade mostly at nights. On Saturdays and Sundays, farmers would usually bring and sell their produce at the market and on the embankment.
That specific area is usually studded with caravans, tents and stalls. Vendors are also now claiming that rates and taxes are paid to and collected annually by the Neighbourhood Democratic Council for occupied spots.
Fiona De Souza, a food vendor, told Stabroek News On Monday that since she was given the letter, frustration has gripped her. De Souza says that she has a mortgage to pay along with other necessities like light and water bills, just to mention a few. De Souza explained that vending has been her main source of income for approximately one year. The mother of three added that if the notice had stated ‘months’ she would have had the time needed to seek out other alternatives so as to keep providing for her family.
Aubrey Peters, a bread vendor who has occupied his space for 20 years, stated on Monday that he received the letter to evacuate but reasoned that the vendors were not properly engaged, and by extension, no one visited to conduct an impact assessment surrounding the project. Peters said that the man tasked with distributing the letter simply said, “It’s government land, yall get off”, and then proceeded to serve the letter. Karen Gittens, a single parent explained that she was the first food vendor on the Plaisance Railway Embankment. She had been occupying her spot for 30 plus years and related that it is the only trade she knows. Gittens said her life revolves around her business since her bills including utilities are paid by her business.
A distressed Gittens explained that it will be difficult to start again from scratch. She questioned, “How could I pick this up now and start from scratch? Where will we get it from when they take this away from us? What they want we do then? Thief to get it?” She opined that an increase in crime within the area might result if vendors are no longer allowed to ply their trade since the area caters for diverse vending opportunities. “I think it is unfair, they should give us more time.”
In a statement on Monday, the International Decade for People of African Descent Assembly – Guyana (IDPADA-G) expressed concern that many of the citizens who may be affected have not been properly notified in a timely manner and/or consulted as should be the standard practice.
“Even worse, potentially affected persons in Plaisance were not issued notices directly. Some persons received general notices stuck in their gates and elsewhere requesting that vending stalls, vehicles, tractor trailers, and other structures be removed within seven days of receipt of the notice. Notices were, however, not specifically addressed or delivered to any person”, the statement said.
