By Theckla Gunga – EM TV, Port Moresby
Street vendors at Gerehu in the nation’s capital are calling on NCD Governor, Powes Parkop, to allocate a proper market area for them to sell their goods.
On Tuesday, city authorities destroyed their market tables and stopped them from selling goods in public areas. The vendors are now waiting on the governor to find a place for them.
The vendors appeal for a proper market area, is an old concern. Despite the issue being flagged in the media, concerned authorities like the National Capital District Commission and the Office of the member for Moresby North-west have only responded with temporary solutions.
The vendors have called for a specific area to be allocated for a proper and permanent market to be situated, where they can sell their goods.
Doris John, both a mother and the sole breadwinner of her family, earns her living through the sale of her goods.
In Gerehu, there are at least one hundred street vendors who sell store goods, drinks and mobile phones at the bus stop, outside shopping centres and along the main roads.
Over the years, many of them had had their goods destroyed. But while city authorities are trying to stop people from selling in public areas, the vendors defended their actions saying it’s their main source of income.
Margaret Rulie is another vendor; she too is looking for an area where she can sell her goods.
The issue is similar in all suburbs in NCD. More people are engaging in street sales because of the fast money it generates, among other reasons.
This leaves concerned authorities, especially the National Capital District Commission, with the challenge to accommodate the vendors.
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