Headlines:
| Renovated market turns into haven for illegal activities |
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| Friday, 03 July 2009 | |
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The recently renovated section of the Harbour Street
Craft Village
in Montego Bay, St James is serving as a haven
for illegal activities. This is according to vendors at the facility who claim that the area is being kept in a deplorable state by the persons involved in the illegitimate activities. According to President of the Village Melody Haughton, commercial sex workers and drug peddlers are among those taking advantage of the empty space. This she says has left a pungent odour which the visitors to the facility find offensive. "What draw our attention to here is while the guests were on the other side they complained about a foul smell and when we investigated it, it was coming from this end that was just completed. It has been used by prostitutes, people playing games, persons selling illegal drugs, all different kinds of illegal activities," Ms. Haughton said. Ms Haughton says the vendors have since joined forces to clean the facility and employ security personnel. But why are the shops unoccupied after millions was spent through the TEF fund to renovate them. Miss Haughton notes that the council has given an undertaking to keep the shops closed until the vendors who are in arrears meet their obligations, but she is appealing to the council to allow those who have already done so to begin re-occupying their shops. In the interim she added that some vendors who were the victims of a fire which occurred at the facility were being billed for the period they were displaced, but adds that this is now being addressed by the council. When our newsteam visited the facility Friday, some of the vendors had already begun taking back the shops. |