CHAGUANAS Market vendors are calling on Local Government Minister Khadijah Ameen to visit the facility and urgently address a long-promised upgrade, including sanitation amenities.
The renewed call for refurbishment of the market on the Chaguanas Main Road followed an outcry from vendors and customers last weekend, when heavy midday showers left people drenched due to leaks in the roof and guttering. The guttering has been cleared and repaired in some areas, but a number of leaks remain.
Some of the rubbish cleared from the roof included bottles which were thrown at roosting pigeons, which also caused a mess in vending areas. Some vendors said it could not be helped that they had to chase the pigeons to keep their stalls clean.
Vendors at the front of the market told the Express yesterday that the usual activities of ‘Sunday market’ were interrupted by ‘gushing water from the roof’. People were sent scampering and some had to remove their tables for a while, costing sales, they said.
A number of vendors said they have endured poor conditions for years, and questioned the use of millions of dollars which have been allocated for upgrade of the structure over the course of years.
Many amenities were yet to be established, including proper bathroom facilities and more pipe-borne water access, vendors said.
They expressed appreciation for the quick action of the Chaguanas Borough Corporation (CBC) in addressing the leaks at the front of the building. However, a number of people called on Ameen to tour the market and listen to their issues. ‘It’s been years and years that certain changes were supposed to be made,’ one vegetable and fruit vendor stated.
‘It is very hard, especially for women vendors, to spend all day here and there are not enough bathrooms, there are always problems for water in the sink and it is always real horrible and dirty,’ the vendor added.
In a Facebook post on Monday, Chaguanas Mayor Faaiq Mohammed posted a video of a report from the municipal crew attending to the leaks. It was noted that some of the guttering had been blocked by debris, with a CBC official questioning why bottles had been thrown on the roof. Some additional guttering would also have to be installed, the site official stated.
Why not us?
Claims of unfair allocations of vending spaces and ‘bullying’ by some vendors have again been made by some sellers. A number of vendors were unhappy with the installation of a ‘gyro’ shop in a structure that was erected at one end of the market front.
The structure was a source of contention when it was started three years ago under the previous government. The small shop front was part of a programme by the Ministry of Rural Development and Local Government to create additional vending space at markets across the country.
Vendors at Chaguanas said it was unfair that the space was not first offered to long-standing food sellers at the market. Some also complained that the structure now blocked their view to the Main Road and was ‘out of place’.
‘They have spoiled the market front,’ one food vendor insisted.
‘They could have built something more attractive and offered it first to people who have been here for years.’
Attempts to contact Ameen and Mohammed yesterday were unsuccessful
