Friday and Saturday saw a decrease in the numbers of both vendors and customers at the Queen’s Park Savannah, following Port-of-Spain Mayor Raymond Tim Kee’s revelation of a major rat infestation in the area.
Tim Kee, last week, requested that vendors vacate the paved area of the Savannah for three to five weeks, so that city officials could exterminate the rodents and add running water and toilet facilities for both vendors and consumers.
He revealed that an infestation of large rats had been discovered by public health officials at the city corporation and cautioned that the public health was at risk. Approximately 40 vendors use the space at the Savannah, with 34 being members of the Savannah Vendors Association.
While some vendors protested the request to move, citing lack of consultation and loss of earnings, several did not show up to the space this weekend. Former President of the Savannah Vendors Association Peter Faustin was one of the vendors who stayed away from the Savannah this weekend.
“I’m not endorsing any move to stay. It was a directive from public health and I took that very seriously,” Faustin said in a telephone interview. He said he was willing to stay away so the work could be done to make the space more appropriate for the sale of food.
Faustin said hundreds of people visiting the Savannah daily to purchase food, with the most popular days being Friday and Saturday. Another vendor, Denicia Diaz, who sells corn soup at the Savannah said she too had decided to heed the mayor’s warning and stayed home.
“I usually take a break at Christmas time anyway because people usually have a lot of food in their house at that time,” Diaz said.
“I have no problem with the need to put in proper facilities, but I felt he (Mayor Tim Kee) could have consulted us.
“The way he did it was with a lack of respect. We contribute to the economy too you know.”
Doubles vendor Danny Kallicharan said he had sold doubles at the Savannah on both Friday and Saturday and had realised business was slow.
“I don’t know if it is because of what the mayor said about the rats but we had less people.
“I still went out though because that is how I make my money.”