Vendors who ply their trade in the Stabroek Market Wharf area will occupy bus parks for at least two years. This was related by Town Clerk, Royston King on Thursday during a press conference held at City Hall on Regent Street, following a cordoning off exercise just hours before, at the deteriorating wharf.
King related to media operatives, “It is going to be a temporary area but it is going to be long because I don’t see the facility, the wharf being restored and modernised in less than two years. It’s going to take about two years or more”.
He nevertheless assured that some $25 million will be used by the Mayor and City Council (M&CC) to prepare the bus parks for those vendors, which will be a worthwhile investment. “The investment is going to be worth it out there for the vendors. That’s going to be worth it I think; because at least it will give them a chance to continue making a livelihood”.
However, those vendors will have to face the strong winds for another three to four weeks until those bus parks are prepared for them. The Town Clerk noted that although the vendors will not be permitted to use the wharf to vend, the M&CC is seeking to permit vendors with perishables to use in front of the Stabroek Market to sell off their goods until the area is ready.
“We don’t want them to suffer losses. We are very concerned about the vendors, we don’t want them to suffer; and I said our intentions are good, so we have to find a balance between our lack of resources and what we hope to do…all we’re doing is asking vendors to continue to cooperate with us and be patient because our intentions are always good,” he added.
While explaining the reason for the vendors’ removal King said, “It is better for them to be inconvenienced and to have their lives than for them to be injured or to die”.
According to King, the Hurricane season is on, which would ultimately have an effect here in Guyana, as was experienced a few weeks ago when the country felt tremors from an earthquake in neighbouring countries.
