City Mayor begs for patience to deal with chaotic street vending problem

Mayor of Georgetown, Alfred Mentore is begging the commercial community for patience as the City Council grapples with a High Court ruling, which has ordered the removal of vendors operating on the outskirt of the Muneshwers Store on Water Street.

During a press conference today, Mentore assured reporters that the City Council will devise a plan to ‘regularize’ street vending in the country’s capital, but he said, the Council needs time to conduct a study of the situation.

Last year, the High Court ordered the City Council to remove all encumbrances from outside of Muneshwers, and though, the Council at the time, signaled its intention to comply with the ruling, there has not been much movement by the Council to ensure the ruling is carried through.

“As long nothing is left, and persons are there overseeing, and they are accompanying it. Based oen us finding a way to monitor and regulate, allow them to be able to do that between, this time, and that time. If they leave it overnight, the engineer is empowered, through the town clerk to be able to move them,” the City Mayor said.

Last November, the Mayor said he was in talks with the Muneshwers company to have the vendors outside the store remain until January 15, after which they would have to be removed.

Today, he sought to shift part of the responsibility to Central Government, telling reporters, that the Government is responsible for the public roads.

“Public roads, as we all know fall under central government, city streets fall under us. While the order itself address the issue of the Council being mandated to treat with these issues, Central Government, who has responsibility for the roads, they should have also been a party to this action because you are asking the city to address a public road issue,” Mentore said.

Mentore said the issue will be placed before the Council when it meets on February 12, as other companies, including Banks DIH, have threatened to take legal action against the City Council.

But vendors are vowing not to remove from the streets bordering the Muneshwers Store, even as they accuse the Mayor and City Council of sending mixed signals and misleading them on issue.

According to the vendors, they were told by the Mayor last week, that they would be allowed to vend in the area, once their stalls or stands are removed at the end of business. However, on Monday, the City Inspector instructed them to clear the area.

Sahadeo Jaggernauth, a father of four who has been vending in the area for more than 20 years, said while the vendors are willing to remove all structures at the close of business on a daily basis, they are not prepared to move altogether.

Jaggernauth said after cleaning the area on Sunday, and investing in moveable stalls, on Monday, they were instructed to remove from the area all together.

“You can’t tell we something else last week, and Monday morning is something else. That is wrong. We can’t sell none at all. How we children dem mining,” Jaggernauth said.

Ramesh Jettoo, who said he has been vending on the pavement just outside of Muneshwers for more than 32 years, said the City Council has been flip-flopping on the issue.

“I come an invest so much money to buy these stands fuh carry it, when I come pun a morning I will bring it, and when I go pun an afternoon, I take it. That is what he [the Mayor] told us to do. Now, this morning when we come to sell, they said we cannot vend anymore.” Jettoo said.

He said those affected are poor and will remain united on the issue, as he laid the blame at the feet of both the City Council and the Government.

“I is a PPP man, we put them in power. And just how we put them in power, we are going to tek them back out because the people have to live, and they suppose to know that. Where these people gun go? If they cannot sell, they will have to thieve,” he said.

A young mother of two, who sells greens on Water Street, said the Council instructing them to move, is taking bread from their mouths and that of their children.

“What they want we do? What they want we do? Go and thieve? I am single parent with me two children. Is real hard because if me got to move, where me children gun get their milk, their pampers from? Where I gun go? Where I gun go? We complying with them all the time but don’t tell we move we things,” the woman cried.

Another vendor, Marvin Boucher, broke down in tears as he contemplated losing his livelihood.

“I am on the road, me ain’t deh on the pave, me ain’t deh over the gutter, me ain’t deh near to the gutter, I am on the road. So, how you gun come and tell me I got to move off the road. Is like Muneshwers own the road. The Government ain’t own the road, City Hall ain’t own the road, Muneshwers own the road to now come and tell people, they have to move,” Boucher said.

Boucher said he has no intention of moving, while another vendor, Samantha Wilson, expressed a similar position.

“I am not moving. I ain’t know what gun play out, and I am prepared for what gun play out but I ain’t moving,” she said.

The roadside vending problem has been growing in Georgetown over the years, with very little action to curb the practice.