Six vendors of the Tuschen market located on the East Bank of Essequibo have had portions of their stalls including the sheds, dismantled by the Neighbourhood Democratic Council (NDC) for exceeding their established perimeters.
The NDC conducted the dismantling exercise at approximately 9 am on Thursday.
Most of the vendors at the market told Stabroek News that the NDC had informed them on Monday that their sheds along with portions of their stands were blocking the walkway and were a traffic hazard to the community and as such, had to be removed. The vendors are contending that the sheds did not have to be taken down as they were being used to protect their vegetables from the elements.
A food vendor who occupies the first stall at Tuschen front road, Sharon Dillon, a 56-year-old single mother of 12 and a vendor for 16-plus years, told Stabroek News that no representative from the NDC ever informed her about the dismantling of her shed that was protruding about two feet from her stall. She said that the NDC workers just came and ripped the shed off of her stall and destroyed it. “I would like them to compensate me for the damages. I want the NDC to provide a contractor to carry out the repairs to my stall that was partially ripped.”
Dillon disclosed that she has been selling on the Tuschen Road front for about 14 years now, when vendors were relocated and brought off the road. She said that that her stand still has room to extend out but unfortunately the shed which was attached to her stall was ripped off by the NDC and destroyed on Thursday morning. She said the NDC is claiming that vendors are not supposed to have the shed protruding since it’s not aligned with the walkway. She had erected it there as protection from the wind and passers-by would use it to shelter from the rain.
“We are Guyanese and we can’t have the shed out, but the Venezuelans that sell in the market have it out and the NDC is not doing anything about that. This shed is about one year old and it was aligned with the space I suppose to occupy. Everyone could have seen through the shed; it wasn’t boarded up. When people come, they would shelter from the rain. I also had a tent with [tarpaulin] on it and the NDC workers broke that up as well. There is no bus shed here and when the rain falls, everyone comes and shelter under the shed. All the people that are selling on the other side, nobody things didn’t get touch, it has vendors selling on the pavement and the NDC officials didn’t do anything about that.”
Another vendor, Bevon Josiah, 49, who has been selling at the Tuschen Front Road for over 23 years, admitted that she did not have a problem with the dismantling of the shed but contended that what the NDC did, they should also do to the other vendors selling on the walkways. She noted that the NDC is claiming that the sheds are a traffic hazard to the community. She questions this since all the other stalls on the other side of the road were not affected so she doesn’t understand why the NDC is focussing on the two stalls located in front of Tuschen.
“I can’t work at the moment since my husband is in search of a carpenter in order for me to pull back my stall more. They [NDC] dismantled my shed so I have to build back but make sure I build within the perimeter they recommended.” She added, “Just like how you [NDC] moved me as the NDC is claiming that they need the place for people to walk, the NDC should move the vendors from the walkway as well. It is unfair that you dismantle my shed and ask me to come in more and leff the other vendors on the road that is also a walkway.”
According to Josiah, the NDC told the vendors they could rebuild, providing they stay within their perimeters. She opined that the NDC will come again with something because as she sees it, it looks like the NDC wants to move the vendors permanently.
Meanwhile, her husband, Charles Josiah, confirmed that the NDC did inform him on Monday that he had to move the shed but up to Thursday he hadn’t.
Anita Dias, whose stall is located close to the walkway said, “What the NDC told me to do, I’m doing, I have nothing to say. The NDC told me to take off a piece of shed and that’s it. I’m going by the instructions they told me. I took off my piece of shed, so my stall can align in the corner and not block the walkway.”
She explained that about 9 am on Thursday, she was told to remove the shed which she did. Also, that the NDC had notified the vendors since Monday that they have to come off the walk way. She said that after her shed was taken off by the NDC workers, she had to hire a worker to remove the remaining structure that was left hovering over the walkway.
Sarwan Persaud, another vendor, also said that the NDC came on Monday and informed the vendors that the sheds were hovering over the walkway and needed to be removed. However, on Thursday morning, the NDC arrived and removed his shed. Persaud said that the shed was used to shelter his vegetables but now they are exposed to the sun. He noted that although the shed was built high and could not affect people when they passed, he still had to remove it. He also said that he had to remove his table that was outside as well. He related he didn’t argue but complied. He noted that the NDC was supposed to come originally on Wednesday but came on Thursday instead. “We just have to take it off.”
Another vendor, Seema (only name given) who has been selling vegetables for seven years now, said that her shed too, was taken off by the NDC. However, prior to Thursday’s visit, she was informed by the Council on Monday that she needed to have it removed. “They informed us [vendors] to pull in our stall to the back and take off all the sheds. I did pull in and take off all the tables before, now yesterday morning, the NDC said to cut out the rest of my shed and they pulled down my shed. How further I’m going to pull in? I can’t extend to the back and I can’t extend forward. I’m already in line this morning with the walkway but they still took off the remaining structure from my shed yesterday morning, and my vegetables are now exposed to the sun. I need a shed because I have to sell. They start at my stall first and then went down. What’s going to happen to my load now?”
Yelisa Gonputh, a single parent, has been a fruit vendor in the market for two years now. She related that her shed was taken off before the NDC arrived yesterday. She said that she now has a shed that she can fold in, just to shelter her fruits and hopefully the NDC wouldn’t take the shed down. She too has been informed of the dismantling of her shed on Monday.
Shameeza Khan related to this publication that she was informed on Monday to take her tent down which she did and she’s now hanging blinds at the end of her stall to protect her vegetables from the sun. She disclosed that she has been selling in the market for twenty-odd years and that she agrees with the NDC since she was told that drivers were complaining that their view was obstructed due to the shed hanging over the walkway.
Attempts by Stabroek News to contact the chairman of Tuschen/Uitvlugt NDC, Dennis Heeralall, for comment on the matter, have so far proven futile.
