Open letter to Gopaul Boodhan, the local government representative for the district of Montrose.

I am a market vendor at the Chaguanas market. I would like you to bring to the attention of the council our concerns in the market which the new mayor promised to deal with but which she has failed to. I refer to the following:
* Extension of stalls blocking the free passage of customers, especially for vendors to the back of the market.
* Blocking of the entrance to the market by itinerant vendors who do not pay any market fees and who abuse legitimate vendors.
* Drug pushing in the market under the steps near the Eleanor Street entrance.
* Indiscriminate dumping of fish entrails into the drains by fish vendors.
* Blocking of lay-bye to the market, thus preventing vendors from loading and off-loading.
* Selling from vehicles parked in front of the market, creating unfair competition for legitimate rent-paying vendors.
* The existence of vegetable and fish markets on Ramsaran Street which is against the laws of the borough and especially the law which states that a market should not exist within a one-mile radius of the main market.
* The use of unhealthy vagrants and homeless people (hustlers) by vendors to cart produce to the market on mornings.
* Poor security at the market. We do not see the number of officers who are being paid by the corporation on regular duty.
* The presence of rats in the underground drains. This poses a health risk since vendors are still leaving produce on the floor on which rats can urinate.

I know that you are not the person in charge of the market but all my efforts to make an appointment with the mayor have failed. I would like to remind you that she came to the market with Councillors Falisha Isahak and Patricia Baptiste promising to fix everything. They brought TV cameras but no action has taken place. I am writing to you because you are seen as representing the problems of the burgesses. I trust that you will get action.
Jassodra Rampersad
Chaguanas