There goes the sidewalk

Much like the neighbourhood, the encroachment is becoming a menace By Titus FilioStaff ReporterThe public market is bursting with vendors taking over pavements and parking spaces as a Manama Municipal Council proposal to redevelop the market remains on the drawing boards. The lack of space for both sellers and buyers can be seen with traders encroaching even on what should have been open public spaces.Many operators have also begun the daily loading and unloading of merchandise at the open spaces and not at designated loading areas which have been largely unused over the past years. In the meantime, stall operators in the main sales area of Central Market were crying foul against the “outsiders” whom they say were stealing business from them. Order, they say, must be brought to the market.“The rule on where to sell must be observed by all,” said a vendor at the stall. “It is unfair because some sellers, like fruit vendors, are openly selling right outside and in parking lots. People no longer come in the market house.”The battle for space among vendors ends up as a difficulty for most buyers at the market. Sellers called on commerce authorities to check the licences of outdoor vendors. A quick check by the Tribune, however, revealed that most of those selling outside had licences and have stalls indoors.“It is easier to sell here because some people do not go inside,” said one of the outdoor vendors. Buyers hardly find a place to park their cars or have to squeeze their way through open stalls.”Developments in Manama Central Market remain frozen but officials believe it is time to redevelop the entire central trading area. The market has been the prime marketplace in the capital for the last three decades. Last week Manama Municipality Council announced that Central Market will undergo a “facelift” with a massive renovation project to develop the indoor public market area.“We had already laid out proposals for the entire market area,” said MMC chairman Muqtada Bader. “The proposal was given to the Ministry of Municipalities six months ago. But we have not really seen or received any go signal from them.”The proposal would cost some BD 100 million. “The problem is space for both sellers and buyers. Parking is a real problem but under the proposal these issues have been well addressed.“It even includes a multi-storey parking edifice because we believe it is time to modernise our central market,” Bader said. Municipal officials estimate that there should be a ready parking space for 3,000-4,000 cars at the Central Market area. The market area is busiest during the morning at weekends.