Minister within the Ministry of Local Government and Regional Development, Mr. Clinton Collymore met the vendors and members of the council last month to find possible solutions to the problem, the agency said.

At that time, GINA noted, the vendors were demanding that they be allowed to return to the site on the former embankment and sell as they claimed that they were unable to get enough sales inside the Rosignol Market.

The council last month removed more than 30 stalls because of insanitary conditions at the location.

GINA said the railway embankment runs adjacent to a small street connecting Burnham Avenue and because the vendors occupied the area, the street could have been accessed only through one route.

According to the agency, residents in the area complained of the condition of the market and asked that it be removed. It said the council was approached and after the market was deemed a hazard by the residents and the council, the decision to have it removed was taken.

Vendors who have been selling on the spot for years have been protesting the actions of the council even though they had engaged the council in a court battle for quite some time, it said.

GINA said the judge threw out the injunction filed by the vendors and the council had the stalls removed in accordance with the law.

While some vendors have been lobbying to remain on the spot, others said they want to remain in the Rosignol Market where they have been given stalls. It is understood that since the stalls were removed from the old embankment, the vendors were moved into the market area, which is closer to the Rosignol ferry stelling.

Some vendors are against moving to the embankment again because of the deplorable conditions during the rainy season, GINA reported.

When Collymore visited the area, he held discussions with the vendors who said that they were willing to construct a market on the spot and finance the maintenance.

The agency said they were asked to submit a plan and if this is found feasible, they would be given permission to build.

The vendors have since submitted a plan to the Regional Administration and this will be sent to Collymore for his comments.

Regional Vice Chairman, Mr. Jalallodeen Baksh said the regional authorities have examined the plan but will be sending it to the minister, as they cannot make the decision to have the vendors construct the market.

GINA said the authorities have raised the issue of proper garbage disposal that is a grave problem at the markets but the vendors have assured that they would take care of their garbage disposal.

It said, too, that the council faces many problems within the Rosignol Market as it has not been regularised.

It reported, however, that the council is working to rectify the situation to offer some amount of security to vendors using the market.