Vendors at the Chaguanas market are calling for immediate government attention after recent heavy rains revealed significant facility failings. The vendors are urging Local Government Minister Khadijah Ameen to act swiftly to address inadequate infrastructure, including leaking roofs and insufficient restroom amenities.
Chaos ensued over the weekend when midday downpours left vendors and customers drenched, disrupting business in the bustling market. Overflowing water, compounded by blocked guttering, forced vendors to move their stalls, resulting in a loss of sales. These issues, coupled with reports of pigeons contributing to unsanitary conditions, have aggravated frustrations among the vendors.
This outcry underscores a longstanding battle for better facilities at the market, a vital part of the Chaguanas community. Vendors have long lamented over investment priorities, questioning the millions allocated for market upgrades yet to materialize effectively. Some have expressed discontent over new structures, like a small shop for food vending, which they argue should have been offered to long-standing vendors first.
The dissatisfaction has found its way onto social media, amplifying the vendors’ demands for action from the government. Many believe that only direct intervention from Ameen will ensure the necessary improvements are made to safeguard their livelihoods and better serve the public.
While quick fixes, such as clearing the guttering, have been initiated by the Chaguanas Borough Corporation, the vendors stress that these are only temporary solutions. The market remains in need of comprehensive upgrades, as echoed in calls for the Minister to visit the site and see the situation firsthand.
