Daily seawall vendors fear operation under threat

Jul 27, 2013 News

Four vendors, who for several decades plied their trade on the seawall tarmac, in the vicinity of the Kitty Pump Station, at the northern end of Vlissengen Road, are convinced that their livelihood is under threat.
The vendors, Justina Mohamed, Michelle Williams, Dolly Smith and Haline Bunbury, are all single parents whose modest incomes from selling mainly food and beverages on a daily basis, are used to cater to their every financial need.
But, according to them, they have been ordered by Minister of Public Works, Robeson Benn, to remove from the location. They said that they first learnt of the order through the media.

The four distraught vendors during an interview with this publication.

The Ministry, in a notice, said that as of May 5, 2013, the seawall and its embankment between Vlissengen Road and the Ocean View International Hotel will no longer be available for vending and/or recreational purposes.
Over the past few years the practice of vending along the identified section of the seawall had become very rampant.
The prohibition notice was premised on the Ministry’s observation that such activities had resulted in “damage to the sea defence infrastructure, excessive build up of garbage in the drains and canals leading to flooding, the increasing traffic congestion and its related safety risks, especially on Sundays and holidays.”
Moreover, it was proposed that all vendors, inclusive of mobile units, drink carts and hot dog stands, be relocated to the section of the seawall between Camp Street and Vlissengen Road.
The Ministry made arrangements for the section of the road between Camp Street and Vlissengen Road be made a one way thoroughfare heading east. In order to aid this move, the Public Works Ministry made a decision to activate the street lights on the embankment, a move, which necessitated cleaning the embankment to facilitate parking and vending.
However, in order to operate, the vendors must first be granted an initial three months permit for vending, the Public Works Ministry notice said.
And in order to discuss the way forward, the Ministry of Public Works invited the vendors to a meeting on May 8, 2013, where issues relating to their relocation were slated to be discussed.
And while the four named vendors are claiming that they are not opposed to the move, they have however expressed disappointment that they were not offered a more suitable location to vend.
The four vendors along with all others, who had previously operated along the identified space, were offered grass covered spots several metres west of the Kitty Pump station.

The pieces of wood protruding from the ground indicate the defined spots for seawall vendors.

According to the vendors they are saddened by the fact that they are being asked to move that distance since it was their belief that “it was those Sunday vendors” who were causing the challenges highlighted by the Public Works Ministry.
However, at the meeting at the Minister’s office, the vendors said that “we went to the Minister pleading with him…We don’t have a problem if he wants us to move but put us somewhere that we could do business everyday; we don’t mind going across where there is a pile of sand,” said Williams.
The women are adamant that not only is the location that they are being offered not conducive for their daily operations but they are insisting that would not be ideal for their personal safety. However, instead of hearing their concerns the women claim that the Minister has been less than understanding.
“The Minister said he done put things in place and right now we just wasting he time…He say if we don’t comply we can carry him to court, but we don’t want to carry nobody to court; we don’t have money for that,” lamented the women.
As such they are hoping that someone in authority would help to persuade the Minister to allow them to operate closer to the Vlissengen Road section of the seawall.
The women are even contemplating taking their concerns to Head of State, President Donald Ramotar, in hopes of having the Public Works Minister reconsider relocating them to a location ideal for their daily routine.