By Mia Anthony
Vendors along the seawall between Camp Road and Vlissengen Road were yesterday ordered to remove by the Sea Defence Board (SDB) and Minister of Public Works Juan Edghill said they had violated the terms of their occupancy of the spots.
A meeting was held with the vendors on Monday at 3 pm and they were told that they had to remove from the area by yesterday afternoon.
Yesterday morning, Stabroek News visited a few of the affected businesses along the seawall and spoke to vendors who said that they pay a monthly rental of $10,000. Edghill later told Stabroek News that the vendors were in violation of their contracts leading to an immediate removal order.
The contract seen by Stabroek News contained a provision for the Sea Defence Board to revoke approval for “reasons considered justifiable”.
There had been suggestions that these vendors would be eventually moved to make way for the proposed Qatari hotel on Carifesta Avenue.
Akeisha Coates and her husband Seon Antonio Scott who operate their business at the seawall told Stabroek News that they were there since 2021 and they renovated their business last year and reopened in September in keeping with the Sea Defence Board’s requests for a tourist-friendly look,
Last month, when it was announced that the Ministry of Public Works (MoPW) would begin road works along the seawall, Coates said that they were told that they would have to pay a fee if they built beyond the agreed upon point. “Last month they called to tell us when they were building this road … that if you build too big we are gonna charge you by the square foot and so on, make sure your place clean and that they will think about giving us light and water and temporary toilets”. She continued “now yesterday they had a sudden meeting, you gotta break down or they are gonna break you down or they are offering to break you down and carry you wherever you need to go, they don’t mind”
The Ministry had advertised that they were going to regularize the seawall area and upon learning this Coates said “I applied and they called a meeting whereby they wanted the place to keep clean and said later on they would eventually develop their own area and put a parking area and mark out a recreational area”.
She added that the contract stated that they were supposed to be mobile. “People can’t afford to hire a canter in and out every day it’s small business, you don’t know what people are making so people used to tie their stuff up. They said it’s untidy so they want people to go and come every day”.
Coates’ business is primarily operated from a container complete with a dining area cabana in front. She noted that when they added the new developments to their business the Sea Defence Board visited and said it was pleased with these developments and requested that she keep the place tidy.
“The mobile thing is pressure and they told us what we could do and we did that”. She stated that every meeting came with a different outcome. “They did not renew our contract but they said we could operate, once we are looking good they will renew our contracts, we never got it renewed”.
Chef It Catering, another food business which has been operating for more than a year, said that they are feeling lost. “All they said is that the government has to do some developmental thing and they want us to move with immediate effect”. When asked about their next step in terms of operating their business they said “we got to start moving because if we don’t they will bulldoze us. They already started picking up stands down the line”.
It was observed by this newspaper that Ministry of Public Works vehicles along with a truck were present on the seawall. Stabroek News inquired about their plans for the area. The engineers replied “we are awaiting instructions to pick up a few stalls”. They added that the moving process was “basically” completed since they were instructed to clear stalls beginning from the Cuffy monument on Vlissengen Road going down to Camp Road. One of the engineers on site shared that the moving is to facilitate road expansion and for the creation of a parking area.
When asked about the permanent structures on the seawall road they said they are aware that no such buildings should have been erected and they will have to be cleared.
Kenneth Hamer, an engineer attached to the ministry told journalists on the scene that the reason the ministry wanted the businesses to remain mobile is so that they can facilitate movement of equipment in cases of emergencies.
“I said to vendors yesterday should there be an emergency and we have to tend to the seawall we will need the space to store materials”, he said. When questioned about the vendors’ claims that the move was so that the ministry can facilitate “developmental projects”, he said “I heard it along the way but it was not conveyed to me by my superiors”. He declined to speak further.
Horace Knights, the proprietor of Searoc Sports Bar on the seawall, said he has been in operation since the 8th of September. Knights’ business is one that was built as a permanent structure. “I would put everything in cost (to) over 40 million dollars in total… everything is just built solidly and left here”.
He said he was not in attendance at the meeting on Monday, however, a representative from the SDB visited his business place to inform him of the new developments and that he needed to be out by yesterday and if they were unable to do so they would provide the necessary equipment to help them move. “All they are saying is government and some development plan, they aren’t telling us anything else”.
Before Knights built his structure he said that he had to submit a plan to have it passed by the SDB.
“I started last year. I submit the plan to them. It is the same size as the plan, all I did was put on shutters but I had to put on shutters because people would come in and vandalize and sleep so I put the shutter on to secure my business”.
He said that he has been building since the month of March and opened shop in September.
“Nobody had a problem. I explained to them what it is…nothing was in (the) ground, everything just rest, everything is pure galvanized hollow section”, he said. Knights added that he has already paid his rent for the entire year so he is confused by this new development.
Knights’ business employs a staff of twelve along with two DJs. He said this has placed him in a tough position.
“I have a staff of twelve, they have to be paid”. Although he is not against the decision to move since the land was never his to begin with he shared his disappointment in the way the issue is being handled.
“I was working on plan B because I did not plan to be here forever because I know for a fact they might want to do something but I did not expect to be treated like this in this manner”, he said. He is not going to give the Government a fight but he at least expected them to operate fairly.
“They can’t come at a meeting 3 o’clock and tell people they need to move by tomorrow”, Knights argued.
Edghill said that the persons vending along the seawall are in violation of the contract they had with the Sea Defence Board since they were only permitted to have mobile structures.
“Everybody that is operating at the seawall they have a permit. The ones that are permitted were permitted a mobile caravan. Nobody is being evicted but what we are moving is all the containers and those permanent structures”, he said.
As it related to reimbursing persons who paid their rental fees for the entire year, he said “if they paid for the entire year it would be based on the letter of permit that say mobile”. He referenced the letter that said the agreement between the vendors and the Board was strictly “mobile”.
Edghill added that the ministry has since removed more than seventeen latrines along the seawall as it was not in keeping with the contracts. “People were living there overnight also so it is not something that we woke up one day and wanted to put people out of business. They got their permit for a mobile caravan to be removed and go home every weekend or whatever”. He added that building a foundation and putting up two-storey containers will not be tolerated.
Meanwhile, Mayor Alfred Mentore and some council members visited the area in the afternoon where they encouraged vendors to not be shaken by the development and to rather stay and defend their interests. He also suggested that the vendors pursue the legal route in case they are displaced wrongfully since they are paying a monthly rental fee.
