The Saturday market which operates at Stelling Road, Rosignol, West Coast Berbice has been attracting vendors from near and far, thus the Rosignol–Zeelust Neighbourhood Democratic Council (NDC), which controls the activities of that market, has attempted to bring the situation of illegal vending under control with the provision of a structure.
Vendors occupying stalls inside the market
NDC authorities are seeking to have vendors occupy the stalls allocated to them within the building. However, the facility remains underutilised, with some vendors having abandoned stalls allocated to them in preference to vending at the side of the roadway, and this has led to the area being quite congested on Saturdays.
Recently, officials from the NDC, with assistance from the Police, have attempted to remove the illegal vendors from the Stelling Road, which according to the Department of Public Information is transformed into a hive of activity from as early as 4:30 a.m. every Saturday. However, the vendors refused to budge, and the NDC has, for the time, allowed the situation to continue as is.
Vendors displaying their wares outside the market
Vending along the road shoulder is illegal. As such, the NDC is not allowed to collect fees from the roadside operators; at least not until they are brought under the umbrella of the NDC. There have been several meetings between the NDC and vendors, but a solution has so far been evasive.
While some vendors have expressed a willingness to pay whatever fees the NDC requires, others are contending that the NDC should upgrade the facility on the railway embankment, since this has led to some persons abandoning their stalls to compete with the itinerant vendors. It is felt that these illegal vendors have an unfair advantage over those who operate from within the market.
Under the law, the Council is authorised to seize the goods of the persons not in compliance with the law. However, the authorities are seeking to avoid confrontation with the vendors. The Council has stated that the market can accommodate all the vendors, and to this end, the NDC is committed to having the situation normalised.
The NDC for now plans to continue discussions with the vendors, to encourage them to return to their stalls, as well as to encourage the others vending on the railway embankment to occupy stalls in the market.
