Vendors and customers have expressed relief over Port-of-Spain Mayor Raymond Tim Kee’s change of heart over the closing time for the Central Market, in the city. Tim Kee, who had initially decreed that the market should be closed at 10 am on Sundays, changed his mind last week and announced that the new closing time would be 1 pm. The announcement was made last Thursday at the Port-of-Spain corporation’s monthly statutory meeting at City Hall.
According to the regulations for the Central market, the operating hours for Sundays were 5.30 am to 10 am. Tim Kee said over the years the rules had been relaxed to allow the market to remain open longer, with no definite closing time. “We spoke to the vendors and customers and we made the decision to extend the closing time,” he said in a telephone interview. On Friday, several vendors were still unsure about what time the market would close and expressed frustration at Tim Kee’s initial decision.
“It’s like he doesn’t want us to make any money. At 10 am people are now coming into the market,” said Anisa Singh, a vegetable vendor. Jameela Harper, another vegetable vendor, who knew of the change, said she was happy. “That 10 am thing didn’t make any sense. We would have lost out on a lot of money.” Tim Kee said he had visited the Sea Lots community on Sunday and received lots of praise from residents. A sign is expected to be placed at the market outlining the new opening hours.