Vendors selling at the Lamin Community Market have made clarion calls to Brikama Area Council (BAC) to urgently address the deplorable condition of the market that currently lacks basic facilities such as toilets, water supply and security.
They made this disclosure to this reporter when he visited the market to see for himself how vendors are challenging with the state of affairs of the market.
Vendors revealed that since the inception of the market it was left without water supply, electricity, adequate dumping-site and toilets facilities despite their continue payment of daily duties to BAC as well as other taxes to kept their stay at the market.
Dam Jum, a vendor at the market for more than a decade, said his concern is the lack of water and the matter has reported to the BAC without any solution, noting that lack of water poses serious threats to their continual stay at the market.
According to him, out of vendor’s contribution the market has one tap, stressing that vendors have to visit neighbourhood compounds to fetch water for their usage without which their situation will be deplorable.
Sainabou Sanyang, 51 years old lady working at the market for the past 15 years, stated that out of her sells that she was able to pay for her children school fees, clothing and fish money for the family.
She said her major concern is lack of toilet facility for the vendors, adding that the toilet built by Brikama Area Council (BAC) is now been abandon due largely to its bad state, revealing that the roof of the toilet has been blown off by windstorm since last year without repair by BAC.
Sanyang said because of lack of water the use of the toilet becomes more uncomfortable for vendors who sell at the market, while calling on BAC to come to their rescue by building new toilets for them at the site.
“Lack of toilet for the market is seriously disturbing us because anytime one wants to ease yourself you must go and plea with the people of the neighbouring compounds. The toilet here is out of use for a very long time now and if we want to ease ourselves we have to go and appeal to the neighbouring compounds and this is a very serious problem for us as vendors”, Sanyang explained.
Lack of security and a watchman is another major concern for many vendors at the community market; they disclosed that series of shops have been broken into by thieves because of lack of security and watchman.
One among the many vendors whose shop has been broken into is Morr Njie a dealer in mobiles, televisions and accessories, he told this reporter that his shop have been broken by thieves who went away with valuables worth more than D30,000 (thirty thousand dalasi).
“My shop was broken in to recently by thieves who went away with more than thirty thousand worth of values such as mobiles, flat screen televisions and chargers. It is very shocking for me and my family because this is where we make our livings through the sells I make here”, Njie pointed out.
According to him, the broken into his shop has left him indebted to many people who are accusing him of all sorts of things, adding that this could have been averted if there are watchmen or security at the market.
“It’s very unfortunate that we are being asked to pay duties everyday by the Brikama Area Council, while market is without water, electricity and toilets. We are in a very frustrating situation because we are finding it very difficult in accessing water, the toilet too is in a very bad situation which I think should be a priority for Brikama Area Council if they want us to continue using this market”, said Mariama Trawally.
Trawally also question why BAC will continue to collect rates and taxes without ploughing back their resources in the forms of services that vendors need for their continue stay at the market, adding that the faster BAC steps into to addressing their concerns the better for them.
