Clogged toilets, rodent infestations and discriminatory practices are among the complaints from vendors about the Siparia Regional Corporation (SRC). Claiming political and racial victimisation, several of the market vendors, who spoke to reporters in front of the market yesterday, called for changes that will help them to make an honest dollar.
Pork vendor Gaston Baptiste said five days before Christmas the SRC placed No Parking signs on an access road to the market, taking parking spots away from customers. As a result, sales declined significantly.
Baptiste said the refrigerator at the market has not worked for the past eight years and vendors are sometimes forced to dump meat that spoiled.
He said although he has written letters and spoken with councillors, the SRC has not done anything to rectify the situation.
Lucille Dickson said on Sundays, which is market day in Siparia, many customers used to park in front of the building. Now they go elsewhere where parking is available.
She said some vendors have stopped selling at the market because of declining sales and poor vending conditions.
Dickson said the only working female toilet is frequented by drug addicts and women feel unsafe using it. She said she goes to the market with a bottle of disinfecting liquid to clean before using.
Another vendor, Kert Guevara, claimed people from other municipalities got multiple stalls in the market while residents had to wait for years to be allocated space to vend. The SRC’s excuse is that there are no spaces.
“I do not know if it is criminals they want people to be because I plant and sell, and when I cannot come and make money to support myself and my family, what do they want me to do?” he asked.
SRC chairman Denish Sankersingh said he was aware of concerns raised by one vendor which had no merit. He said one particular vendor has a building in front of the market and uses the access road as private parking for that business.
He said many of the vendors owe between $1,500 and $2,000 in unpaid rent and since they pay $40 per month for a stall, it means they have not paid the SRC for several years.
