Bourda Market stallholders protest against street vending

Stallholders inside Bourda Market on Wednesday afternoon marched to City Hall as a sign of protest as they called for vendors plying their trade outside the market to be removed.
According to the stallholders, some are forced to throw away their goods on a daily basis as a result of the lack of sales.
This, the stallholders blame, on the vendors who ply their trade outside of the market, offering their goods at a cheaper cost. As such, the vendors who occupy

stalls within Bourda Market are not getting many sales.
The street vendors are reportedly only allowed to ply their trade within a fixed period, which stallholders contend they are not adhering to.
As a result, the vendors are complaining of paying for stalls inside which are not benefiting them.
Rampaul Singh, a holder of multiples stalls in the market, revealed that he has been paying the Council of City Hall a large sum of money each month, alleging that stallholders are threatened if they fail to pay.
When Guyana Times visited the market, Singh argued that without much sales, it is difficult for them to adhere to the Council.
“I have been paying the Council x amount of money per month. If you do not pay within a certain time, they are threatening you to close you down. How can you make money when they have that large amount of people selling all day on Robb Street. People cannot even traverse that road with their cars to come and buy from us because they can’t reach. I have a truck that I have to use to bring goods to my stall and I cannot even pass in. Why are they having all these people here and even before the time that they should be here,” Singh decried.
The vendors reportedly took their complaints to the Mayor and Town Clerk who promised to intervene but to date nothing has been done.
They are even complaining of having to dwell in deplorable conditions as the municipal market is not being maintained.
“The Mayor and the City Council is not doing anything. How much money has the Council collected from us and we have no water facility, it full of rats, it dirty, this is the condition that we have to sell under. I am paying almost $18,000 and they come telling us that they will be doing this and that but nothing, they are doing nothing!” Singh revealed in anger.
According to Beverley Archer, another vendor, the Town Clerk promised an intervention since last year but to date, nothing has happened.
The woman relayed “He said that he was going to look into it but we are here still punishing.
We went there, had meeting with him and it’s still the same way. He recently passed and said that he will help and still we waiting”.
The vendors are calling for urgent assistance since according to them, their livelihoods are being threatened.
“We normally pay $18,750 per month for a stall in the market and if you have an extension, then another fee has to be paid.
We are now not making even the stall rent money and those with perishable goods have to throw away each day,” another vendor complained.
“They should remove them because if they are there we can’t have a business here.
We have stall rent to pay if we can’t pay they come to lock down our stall. They need to remove them and find an area for them to wholesale their goods,” the vendor protested.
Guyana Times attempted to contact Town Clerk Royston King and Mayor Patricia Chase Green for a comment but these attempts proved futile.