Stabroek Market vendors say Council ignoring concerns
While works are being carried out around Stabroek Market to improve the aesthetics of Georgetown, City Council is failing to address the sanitary concerns of vendors within the Market. This is according to several
The collapsing roof of the wharf is a hazard to those vendors who ply their trade there
vendors who ply their trade in the Western section of the market.
The vendors expressed frustrations as they related that the walkways inside the market are flooded on a daily basis due to the overflowing underground drainage systems. Several snackette owners explained that the drains are less than two feet from their stalls, and every day the clogged drains overflow, resulting in the dirty and foul-smelling water flooding the walkways. This they stated causes them to incur losses as customers do not want to purchase edibles from a snackette that is located in such an insanitary environment.
“This happens on a daily basis…sometimes twice a day, and sometimes up to three times a day. One of the causes would be the dumping of garbage in the drains by other vendors at the back of the market. They dump vegetable remnants in the drains and that causes clogging,” one vendor explained.
The vendors, who wished to remain anonymous, explained that they had voiced their concerns with City Hall officials several times; however, to date nothing has been done. They also revealed that after lodging several complaints about the lackadaisical approach to the issue by City officials, several stalls were shut down for one week. “We reported to the Council several times, and they always said that they would look into it but to date nothing has been done. We complained before to the Council….but in retaliation they shut down two stands for one week,” a concerned vendor stated.
The vendors are imploring City Council to address the matter urgently as it is affecting them. “Something needs to be done because when it floods, people don’t want to walk through the dirty water and come buy anything. And that causes us to incur great losses,” another vendor stated.
Meanwhile, the vendors located on the wharf are expressing concerns for their safety as the structure is in dire need of repairs. The roof is in a state of partial collapse while the floorboards are loose. “Yuh know how much time people come and seh that they gon repair this thing? Is years now we hearing they gon fix it but nothing ain’t happening. Look, this roof falling apart. A lil breeze and this thing gon come crashing down budday. Them need to look after this soon ‘cause it look like them gon wait ‘til it fall nd kill somebody ‘fore they mek a move,” one vendor stated.
