The Barbados Vendors’ Association (BARVEN) supports any efforts to improve the infrastructural development of Bridgetown, but such development must never occur at the expense of vendors and their livelihood, President Alister Alexander has declared.
He was responding to the panic and frustration expressed by vendors outside the Fairchild Street Terminal on Thursday morning after they were served with notices that they would have to move from their location as early as Friday, January 3. This is to facilitate the demolition of the old National Insurance (NIS) building across the street and according to the letter from the Transport Board which indicated that the vendors’ operations could be affected for up to six weeks.
However the Transport Board’s Chief Operations Officer Lynda Holder as well as the Barbados Tourism Inc., under whose control the old NIS building falls, have since indicated that there is no need for alarm, and vendors will not be asked to move tomorrow. They have also promised to keep vendors and other stakeholders well informed of any developments likely to affect them.
On Thursday, an upset Alexander told Barbados TODAY that the vendors felt disrespected since they were not given the opportunity to meet with authorities and discuss a viable solution to the challenges. He stressed that if such an approach was not taken vendors would not comply.
The letters informed them that the road between the terminal and the old NIS would be closed to vehicular and pedestrian traffic, and because of the nature of the work, vendors would be unable to operate from their current locations.
“The management of the Transport Board apologizes for this unforeseen situation but will have to ask that you close your operation temporarily when the demolition commences. We will monitor the progress of this project and will keep you informed as much as we can on when you will be able to resume normal operations,” the letter read.
Believing this was an indication that they would have to move by Friday, vendors aired their frustration about the development.
One vendor asked: “Are they just going to ‘done’ the people’s businesses just so? We had no meetings or anything. Just a simple man from the Transport Board came and said ‘Rastaman, they’re moving the building from here and you will have to move for six weeks’.
“How will we be out of work for six weeks? We don’t have anywhere to go. I have bills to pay and all kinds of thing so I don’t know what we are going to do. The year has just started, and they haven’t even given us a chance to catch ourselves,” he complained.
Barven’s president, while weighing in on the situation, stressed that although the association recognises the need for construction projects in the interest of national development, vendors ought to be treated with respect.
“We are not asking for anything unreasonable. But it is what was done to them that is unreasonable. We will not stand in the way of the project, but you can’t hurt the people if you are carrying out a project in the national interest. We are willing to sit down and work out how the project will come to fruition,” he stressed.
However, Joyann Haigh, whose company, Haigh Communications has been employed by the BTI to manage communications said the developers agreed with BARVEN’s position. While stressing that her company was not responsible for the correspondence sent out on Thursday, Haigh apologised for the distress caused to the vendors adding that no one would be asked to move on Friday.
She explained that the only preparatory work would be conducted inside the NIS building and promised that anyone affected by the demolition work would be informed well in advance.
She added that a traffic plan would be instituted, and a special hotline would be set up to hear the concerns of all stakeholders.
However, the Transport Board official stressed that Thursday’s letter was merely relaying information about the project given to them two days prior and denied that it instructed vendors to vacate the area.
“We were advised of the proposed commencement date and that based on the Safety and Health at Work Act, the tenants would be affected. We indicated this in the letter and we also indicated the proposed start date to our tenants and clearly stated that this closure would be temporary and only occur when the demolition commences. We also indicated at that time that we would keep persons informed as much as possible on the project and how it develops,” she said.
At this stage it is still unclear how the nearby Bridgetown Fire Station and other more established businesses including Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) and Jordan’s Supermarket will be affected.
kareemsmith@barbadostoday.bb
