Some 65 vendors who had agreed to relocate to facilitate the West Coast Demerara Road Improvement Project (RPI) have all abandoned the new site that was agreed upon.
Earlier this month, Minister within the Ministry of Public Infrastructure Annette Ferguson along with others from the Ministry of Public Infrastructure, met with the vendors at the Vreed-en-Hoop Primary School where they explained that the RPI project is for the betterment of the West Coast and West Bank Demerara.
After hearing these remarks, the hucksters all agreed to the temporary move. A new location was set identified in the vicinity of the Vreed-en-Hoop Secondary School and stalls were built by the vendors themselves to accommodate them for the time.
But visiting the area on Friday <<Guyana Times>> noticed that all the stalls in the new location were empty and the vendors were back on the roadside.
This newspaper spoke to vendors who explained that the new location is a “dead zone” where customers refused to visit.
They explained that even though they had agreed to move, they only did so after they were assured that business would not change.
This publication spoke to a number of vendors who explained the plight they are currently faced with.
The abandoned stalls at the new location
One vendor (name withheld) told this publication that sales are slow, adding that some days she only sells $60 worth of goods.
“On Monday, I brought two hundred oranges and one hundred tangerine, plus pineapples and nothing is being sold, how I brought it it’s the same way I am taking it home back” she woman explained.
According to the woman, some vendors even though they agreed to the move, did not go into the facility but continued to ply their trade on the roadside thus hindering the business for those that adhered to the move order.
“Some of us are going in and some of them are not. So after that, everybody just pack up their goods and came out back onto the road”. Another vendor explained that she also has been selling about $100 a day in the new facility. “So we could not just sit down in there and depend on that because we have children to mind. So we come out here to hustle for the time until they come back to move us”.
She added that according to information that she received, someone will be in the area to inspect and further move the vendors back to the facility—even those who did not move in the first wave. “When they do that, we will see how business goes again and then if things cannot work out, we’ll probably have to find other jobs”. The vendors also explained that the customers relayed to them that they will not be coming into the new area as there are still vendors that were given the go ahead to remain at certain areas on the roadside. The vendors are hoping to voice their concerns when those in charge next visit the area.
