The removal of sheds, toilets, water tanks and other items belonging to vendors located along the seawall between Camp Road and Vlissengen Road, has left them angry and frustrated.
The removal operation was preceded by a visit by Minister of Public Works, Juan Edghill last Wednesday where he met with vendors who ply their trade along the seawall. He told them that those with a permit can continue to vend as long as they remain in compliance with the vending agreement.
Stabroek News visited the area yesterday and spoke to several vendors who been operating on the seawall for as long as 20 years. They expressed their dissatisfaction with the dismantling of their structures.
A Sophia resident, Jillian Jemmoth, who has been selling snacks and beverages several days a week for the past 20 years relayed that last Saturday afternoon, she came to work and saw that her shed had been removed from her caravan. She said that she had learnt that her shed was removed by the contractor on Friday, however to her surprise, when she came on Monday she saw it in pieces. The woman insisted that she did not have her caravan built without approval, and before she started her business at the seawall, she approached the Ministry of Works and got approval to build her caravan with wheels. She said that the caravan is her main source of income and selling at the seawall is a risky thing to do, but she is doing it for her other daughter who is disabled.
According to the vendor, the Minister is now saying that all permanent structures will have to be removed from the caravans and that they should use portable tents. “… Couple mornings after they come and tell the vendors they don’t want a shed when we are selling the kind of stuff where people have to sit and relax. We must put up portable tents only. We paid a lot of money to build the sheds. We have to work without a permanent shed now [but] we have to use the sheds. The tent cannot stand up to the sea breeze, and it destroys it [the tent] a lot. That’s why most people build their permanent shed.” She added, “We want to know if this is One Guyana fuh truth, is this how we care?”
Clyde Dover, a 49-year-old West Ruimveldt beverage vendor who has been vending on the seawall for about nine years now, said that his business is his main source of income. He recounted that yesterday, the one day when he was not at work, the contractor came and broke his bench that was situated at the back of his caravan. He added that some other items like his portable tent frame were damaged in the process.
“I’m at work for the whole week and today is the first day I’m not here and when I’m gone, so much things they break up for me. They could have told me the things ain’t supposed to be here.” Dover noted that when the contractor removed his shed from his caravan on Friday, they did not mention that he should remove the other items as well, and they did it themselves without informing him. He lamented that rain will now come into his caravan. The vendor related that he does not have a problem with the contractors removing the shed but contended that whatever they have to remove, they should inform the owner so that they can be present when the removal is being carried out.
Akicka Coates, a 44-year-old vendor who vends on the seawall with her husband explained that she did not have a problem with the Sea and River Defence Board (SRDB) dismantling her shed from her cart, but feels the government should look into the terms and condition of the vending contract. She related that she did receive a call from the SRDB about the dismantling of the shed on Saturday which was done. She opined that everyone has to comply with the contract. “Everybody have to comply with the contract. The government decided they will leave the containers because they are on wheels but will take the shed. We had no choice. So, we didn’t have a problem with that.”
She expressed the opinion that the contract she originally signed is oppressive because some of the terms and conditions of the contract stated that vendors have to look presentable for tourism, “But then you have to have a 10 by 10 mobile cart. It has to have wheels. But to be presentable for tourism, you have to have proper furniture. She then asked, “How much thing a 10 by 10 space can hold? People like me who want to do our cocktails, barbecue and stuff can’t operate in that space, the space suits the plantain chips vendors. I have extended a little. They [government] said you have to be mobile to go and come every day. That is oppressing because what about poor people who doesn’t have home space to store a food cart?
In relation to the toilet facilities there, she added that nowhere on the seawall has toilet facilities but some vendors have portable ones, while some made their own. “It is kind of hard on business because we have to pay the sea defence a monthly rent, we have to pay rents for toilets, we have to get gas for generators because vendors don’t have any electricity. We have to get people to fetch water because we have no water system. It is understandable that it is the sea defence but, I think the government can meet us half way too by attaching temporary meters to each caravan, so people can pay a bill. Maybe the government can place about five permanent toilets. The area doesn’t have bins, the vendors have to provide that but where are we dumping the garbage. The government should place bins to the end, so we can dump the garbage and they [government] can dispose of the garbage. We are not fighting with the government but they should be realistic.”
Meanwhile, Shamin Knights, the joint owner of Searocks sports bar said that so far the government has sent messages and called yesterday to inform them that if the toilets, water tanks, the shed, and other items were not removed from the bar, someone will be dispatched to break it down. However, she has pleaded for more time. She said that up to yesterday, she had staff remove some tanks along with some pieces of wood.
Knights disclosed that she has a staff of 17 person and she and her husband disagree with the government wanting the shed dismantled.
“That’s why we didn’t break it. They send messages to break it down but we refused because we know we had invested a lot of money, and we didn’t put this here or this didn’t fall over night, they gave us the ok. We had to submit a plan, we paid to get it drafted out and they viewed it, and gave us back it and said ok, go ahead. We started building from March, 2023 and stop building in September of last year. All the time they pass and see it and didn’t say anything. It’s a steel frame put together, it not anything gone down in the ground”, she said.
