Rosignol-Zeelust NDC frustrated by illegal vendors

Dec 03, 2017 News

While there is a regular Monday to Friday green grocer market at Rosignol, the Saturday market which operates at a different locale has been attracting vendors from near and far, and the Neighbourhood Democratic Council, NDC, is having difficulties bringing the situation under control.
Last Saturday, officials from the Rosignol – Zeelust NDC with the Police attempted to remove some illegal vendors from the Stelling Road which is transformed into a hive of activities from as early as 4:30 hours every Saturday. However, the vendors stood their ground, and the NDC relented.
There is a structure provided by the NDC for vendors to conduct their trade, however, according to the assistant Overseer of the NDC, the facility remains underutilised, with some vendors having abandoned stalls allocated to them, in preference to vending at the side of the roadway.
This has led to the area being quite congested on Saturday morning. The congestion has forced the police to modify traffic arrangements which now see a one-way flow of traffic during the peak market hours: from early morning to about mid-day.
Authorities are seeking to have vendors occupy the stalls allocated to them, but the vendors are reluctant to operate inside the market.
There are some vendors who travel every Saturday from outside Region Five, to ply their trade outside of the market, and they have drawn the ire of others, some of whom are complaining, while some have abandoned their stalls to compete with the itinerant vendors, claiming that the itinerant vendors have an unfair advantage over those who operate from within the market, especially given the fact that those who operate outside the market have not been paying rates or taxes for operating in the area.
While some vendors have expressed a willingness to pay whatever fees the NDC may ask for, so that they could be allowed to continue their trade, the NDC has stated that vending on the road-shoulder is illegal, and that there is space within the market for those interested in operating from within.
Further, the NDC would be making every effort to have the situation normalised, by having vending done within the confines of the building rather than along the road shoulder.
Since vending along the road shoulder is illegal, the NDC is not allowed to collect any fees from such operators. According to the assistant overseer, the NDC, under the law, can seize the goods of the people not in compliance with the law, and dump such goods.
However, the authorities would want to avoid confrontation with operators, and so they are hoping that people would take up the stalls available in the market. The assistant overseer also said that the market can accommodate all the vendors, and that the NDC would want work along with the vendors. Therefore, they would continue to seek to have vendors occupy the available stalls.
Of those operating within the market, there are complaints that the NDC, is found wanting as it relates to the quality of service being provided for stall holders, and sanitation is at the top of the list. Some concerned vendors have voiced the opinion that elements within the NDC need to put aside their differences and work towards the general good of the community.
They noted that should councillors put aside their political differences, and focus on the development of the community, it is likely to be easier for them to resolve the issues now facing the NDC, especially as it relates to the issues of vending.
There are vendors who operate on the railway embankment every day except Saturday, but the NDC is not in a position to collect fees from those people unless the vendors are brought under the umbrella of the NDC.
There have been several meetings involving both the NDC and vendors, but so far they have failed to agree on a solution. The council even failed in 2002 to get a court order to remove those vendors, and so there seems be very little that council could do but to work along with the vendors.
Vendors are contending that the NDC should upgrade the facility on the railway embankment to accommodate the 40 to 50 vendors who operate there throughout the week.
Such a move would generate much needed revenue for the council. In the meantime, the NDC continues to miss out on collecting revenue while owing the Guyana Power and Light in excess of one million dollars.

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Rosignol-Zeelust NDC frustrated by illegal vendors

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