Published 22 July, 2021
Basseterre
Buckie Got It, St. Kitts and Nevis News Source
INTER-MINISTERIAL COMMITTEE ON STREET VENDING CARRIES OUT MANDATE TO ADDRESS HEALTH AND SAFETY ISSUES
Basseterre, St. Kitts, July 22, 2021 (SKNIS): The inter-ministerial committee that was established to deal with the issue of street vending in Basseterre continues to carry out its mandate to address the health and safety issues of all involved, said Austin Farier, Chair of the Inter-ministerial Committee during his July 21 appearance on ‘Working for You’.
“A committee was formed because there were some concerns about the safety and health of the pedestrians especially in Basseterre because of what was happening. It was unorganized and there was a lot of chaos when you have persons who were not only setting up where they feel like but also not asking questions.”
Mr. Farrier explained that within Basseterre, there are formal traders, as well as authorized and unauthorized street vendors.
He noted that St. Kitts and Nevis is modernizing, therefore it was important to make provisions to accommodate street vendors. He added that the Cabinet gave several principles to be followed in the process.
“One of the principles was that everyone has the right to make an honest living. The other one is that we had to protect micro entities as they were the most vulnerable of the businesses,” he said. “If we have to relocate persons what are the details to make these areas enjoyable for both the users and the customers coming here, and are there any legislative changes needed to be put in place to ensure that what is happening in Basseterre right now doesn’t happen again.”
The inter-ministerial committee comprises persons from various government ministries and departments including the Ministries of Health, Tourism, Finance, and Justice and Legal Affairs, as well as the Royal St. Christopher and Nevis Police Force, Development Control and Planning Board, St. Kitts and Nevis Inland Revenue Department and the Chamber of Industry and Commerce.
