Road side vendors who ply their trades along the Annandale, East Coast Demerara public road will soon be removed as Government prepares to install revetments and construct a tarmac in the village for the vendors to presumably relocate.
This is according to State Minister, Joseph Harmon on Friday during a Post Cabinet press briefing with media operatives at the Ministry of the Presidency.
“The construction of this tarmac is necessary for the removal of the roadside market which is in fact affecting the completion of the East Coast Demerara widening of the Highway project,” he explained to media operatives.
The contract for this initiative has been awarded in the sum of $30,044,000 to S.Jagmohan Hardware Supplies and Construction Service.
Over the years, vendors have expressed their feelings of being “tucked away” as Government seeks to remove them from areas considered to be “marketing hubs” and have them confined to remote locations.
One such incident was when the Vreed-en-Hoop, West Bank Demerara road side vendors had been removed from along the road and placed on a tarmac in June of 2016.
At that time, some 65 vendors had agreed to being temporarily relocated to facilitate the West Coast Demerara Road Improvement Project (RPI).
However, after realising that their move was intended to be permanent, the merchants all abandoned the new site that was agreed upon.
This was after Minister within the Ministry of Public Infrastructure Annette Ferguson along with others from the Ministry of Public Infrastructure, met with the vendors at the Vreed-en-Hoop Primary School where they explained that the RPI is for the betterment of the West Coast and West Bank Demerara.
A new location was then identified in the vicinity of the Vreed-en-Hoop Secondary School and stalls were built by the vendors themselves to be accommodated for the time.
Vendors told this online publication at that time that the area was a “dead zone” and customers refused to visit.
The vendors also explained that the customers relayed to them that they will not be coming into the new area as there are still vendors that were given the go ahead to remain at certain areas on the roadside.
Most recently, the vendors along the road side near the Bourda Market were ordered by the Georgetown Municipality to vacate the area, as they were contributing to the congestion.
However, after adhering for just a short period, the hucksters have re-commenced their operations at the popular market area. (Ramona Luthi)
