M&CC to engage vendors on improving vending conditions today

Feb 18, 2021 News

By Alliyah Allicock

One of the clogged drains that was inspected on Tuesday.

Mayor Ubraj Narine speaking with one of the roadside vendors during the inspection exercise.

Kaieteur News – Today, the Georgetown Mayor and City Council of Georgetown (M&CC) is expected to meet with all street vendors to discuss ways of improving and enhancing the vending conditions around the city. The meeting will be held in the forecourt of the City Hall compound at 13:00hrs.
This meeting, this publication was informed, aims to deal with matters concerning vending such as: illicit dumping of garbage in drains, ensuring vendors clean their respective vending areas, and ensuring food vendors are properly equipped with the requisite food handler’s certificate.
On Tuesday, the M&CC conducted a walkabout and inspection exercise in and around the major shopping centres within the city. During the exercise, officials checked for vending structures, which may be erected illegally and sought to ensure that food vendors have valid food handler’s certificate. They also sought to verify complaints of clogged and littered drains and called upon vendors to ensure the general cleanliness of the environment in which they operate.
Commenting on Tuesday’s exercise, Mayor Ubraj Narine disclosed that several storeowners, who were erecting tents on the pavement illegally, were given a seven-day notice to remove these. He said that the drains in the entire Robb and Regent Streets area were clogged with garbage. “I decide to walk about because of the complaints from the residents and businesses from those areas,” he noted.
In addition to that, the Mayor said there were a few food vendors who were operating without the relevant food handler’s certificate. They have been cautioned by the M&CC. While there is no fine attached, the Mayor said persons found without these certificates can have their goods seizes, bringing an end to their operation. They can also face prosecution, he said.
For this reason, the Mayor has advised vendors to abide by the rules and regulations set out by the M&CC.
According to Mayor Narine, such exercises will form part of the Council’s regular outreach schedule to ensure that businesses around the city maintain a good standard of service to customers.
The Mayor also called on Government to review the Public Health Ordinance, noting that it is important and outdated. “I believe it should be reviewed as soon as possible, so that it can include different measures and systems so it can fix the issues in this era that we operate in,” said Mayor Narine.

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