Nassau, The Bahamas — Agriculture and Marine Resources and Local Government Minister V. Alfred Gray urged vendors operating at Potter’s Cay and Arawak Cay to pay their leases or face eviction.
During a meeting with vendors on Monday, Mr Gray was also critical of the “dilapidated” conditions of stalls, especially at Potter’s Cay.
He told vendors that if they were not prepared to properly conduct business, the opportunity will be given to others.
“Generally speaking, most of you are in arrears in the amount of thousands of dollars in lease payment,” Mr Gray told them.
“If your leases are not covered and you are not making any arrangement to fix it, we are going to close you down.”
“Every vendor needs to accept and understand that you have to pay a fee for where you are and what you do,” he added.
Vendors’ refusal to pay their leases, he said, was like stealing from the Government.
Mr. Gray warned that under his administration, it will no longer be business as usual.
“If you ain’t straight, get straight…or we will simply close you down,” he said.
Arrangements can be made for vendors to pay off their arrears while keeping their licence current, he said.
The demand for Arawak Cay businesses, he said, “Is great. If you have one I just beg you to keep your licence current.”
The Minister said he was not satisfied with the cleanliness of the environment where vendors do business, especially at Potter’s Cay.
He described certain areas of the Potter’s Cay environment as being “nasty” and criticised vendors for dumping conch shells into the sea when other arrangements are made for their disposal.
He stressed that vendors are responsible for keeping their stalls and the surrounding areas clean.
He said the Government must take some responsibility for the predicament for not enforcing the rules.
“Some of us in Government must take some blame for allowing you to do that,” said Minister Gray. “But we have to fix it.”
He said that within a month, dilapidated and unoccupied stalls will be demolished.
“Most of those stalls (at Potter’s Cay) seem to be in a state where they should be torn down,” he said.
He suggested that the food section of Potter’s Cay be closed for three weeks so the area can be sanitised.
By Gladstone Thurston
Bahamas Information Services
Caption: Agriculture, Marine Resources and Local Government Minister V. Alfred Gray engages a vendor during Monday’s meeting. (BIS Photo/Raymond Bethel)
