Roadside vending around Georgetown will soon be reduced as the Mayor and City Council work on a comprehensive plan to have them removed to a more suitable business space.
This is according to City Mayor, Alfred Mentore as he responded to the agreement regarding vendors selling outside Muneshwers Limited, during an interview with the News Room on Monday.
The Mayor reiterated the need for structured vending in the city and said recent Court ruling that orders vendors to desist from operating around the premises of Muneshwers Limited on Water Street, Georgetown, emphasised the need for a comprehensive plan to properly facilitate vendors.
The mayor said this issue spans decades and it affects every town and region but for his city, he intends to work along with vendors to place them into markets.
For a long term remedy, he has considered creating space at markets for them and in cases where vendors have stalls, have them sell from there rather than taking up space in front of business establishments.
“How we could redirect back the traffic to those places rather than persons having to vend on the streets. We will be working to create more stalls…this situation has to be remedied.
“Not to have more people come back on the streets but when we create more space we will be able to cause more persons to be able to benefit from those spaces. As a person who is involved in business for many years, I like the idea of selling ownership, let people have something that they call their own,” the mayor said.
On November 17, the High Court ruled that the vendors outside Muneshwers building must remove from there. The City Council has since intervened to assist with a temporary solution that allows vendors to ply their trade at the location until January 15, 2024.
Mentore said the vendors have terms and conditions which they must abide by in order to continue selling there. He said the constabulary personnel are conducting routine checks to ensure vendors abide with these conditions.
“The entrance has to be cleared, I have to maintain order where our constabulary person has to keep checking there to ensure that everything else is in place.
“Based on that mutual arrangement, I think we are on track with it and I’m going to be doing things to modify the arrangement as it stands so that everybody could have a win-win situation,” Mentore said.
Mentore said Demico QuickServ has written to notify about vendors causing issues there. He said the reality is that business owners will complain because of the manner that the vending is carried out.
As such, he revealed that the council is receiving assistance from a partner that has offered to assist with finding a solution.
This review involves what expansions are can be done at the vendors mall and Stabroek Market area.
“We will be able to look at what monies we will be able to bring to the table, what monies we will need to get to be able to deal with this thing.
“Obviously, this plan will be presented to the government so that we will be able to draw down on some of that oil funds to be able to develop these issues,” Mentore said.
