Charity vendors to be relocated for market demolition

Jul 14, 2023 News

Kaieteur News – Vendors at the Charity Market will soon be relocated to alternative areas following a major fire at the facility last week Thursday that damaged a number of stalls.

This decision to relocate, however, is not going down well with vendors, and even sparked a picketing exercise on Wednesday. The centre of the market had suffered extensive damage from the fire. According to the Fire Department, some twenty-five of eighty-five stalls were destroyed. Stall holders, who suffered little to no damage during the fire, are contending that they should be allowed to vend in the area, as their livelihoods are at stake.

Regional authorities on the other hand, have a completely different perspective on the matter. According to the Regional Chairperson of Region Two, Ms. Velma Da Silva, all vendors, affected or not, should relocate to facilitate clean-up efforts and complete demolition of the market. In an invited comment the Regional Chairperson said, “the fastest thing we can try to do is to find an area that we can relocate you guys to. They don’t want that; they want a shed immediately. Because of the amount of work done, we have to disconnect the electricity to remove and clear that area.”

She went on to say: “the roof was burnt and everything has to come down. They want to vend; we have to cater for their safety because of the work that has to be done; we have to break. If you’re vending and all these machineries have to go on the ground, it will not be safe for them…” the chairperson said.

An overhead view of the affected and unaffected areas

Kaieteur News learnt that displaced vendors will be accommodated on the market tarmac, which is another location in Charity. This nonetheless raises additional concerns for vendors, particularly in the area of security and flooding. One vendor who has been plying her trade within the Charity Market for the past 25 years said: “at the back street stalls breaking and entering every night. The tarmac and the back does flood all they talking about is bulldozing this place and putting up a double-decker market. All these stalls, people build them privately, we paying rent to the spot to the NDC. All these tables, people build from tables to stalls.” He added: “They ain’t talking about compensation or nothing if they’re to break down all our investments. All they keep saying is the place gotta do; they gotta clear. This is our only source of income; we are pleading with President Ali to come and have a first-hand look…” the vendor related.

Vendors believe that since little to no structural damage was done to the western section of the market, vending should continue. This publication observed that quite a number of stalls in the western end of the market indeed were untouched by the fire. A small section of the roof above this location, however, was partially burnt. While plans for a new facility had been announced, no timeframe has been given on when works will commence.

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chairperson, disconnect, Ms. Velma Da Silva, Region Two, Regional

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