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Family bandyism takes up residence at Galle weekly market, traders say
View(s):Hawkers and traders who pitched their goods at the weekly public market in Galle accuse local authorities of cronyism in denying them an opportunity to make a living 12 years after the tsunami.
A traders’ group says outsiders have been allocated space for stalls through suspicious arrangements at the market where once 350 people sold their wares.
One fruit trader at the Mahajana Pola, P V Padmawathie, 75, keeps shifting from one pavement spot to another in Galle. “Most of us have no permanent place for our stalls, so we have to keep moving from place to place. It is becoming more and more difficult with age, too,” she said.
She lost her daughter and husband along with eight other relatives in the tsunami that rolled in on December 26, 2004. She lives in a house in Kurunduwatte, Akmeemana in Galle and she continues to make a living selling fruit.
B G Lionel, who heads the weekly market held by the Galle Traders’ Association, said that before the tsunami, things were different. “Some 350 traders were selling products. Many of them went missing or died. When we began to recover from the disaster, about 200 stalls opened but these were taken by outsiders who used political influence to get into the lucrative trade. Even I was deprived a stall along with many others. We have appealed to have our stall spaces restored, but our calls have gone unheeded so far,” he said.
M. K. Dayaratne of Bataduwa, Galle, said traders have been forced on to the pavements.
Chandrika Gunewardena of Mihiripenna, Thalpe, suspects cronyism in allocating stalls.
“My husband and I earn a living by selling salad greens on the pavement. New stalls have been assigned to those who did not possess any stalls at the fair before the tsunami. In some cases, members of the same family have got several stalls,” she said. Chandrika lost her mother and son to the tsunami waves.
D. Nimal Pathirage who sells DVDs and cassettes, has been allocated a temporary stall at Orropuwatta in Galle and is not pleased.
“The stall is small and the walls have cracked. The roof is on the verge of collapse. It is dangerous. We need some permanent arrangement,” he said.
The former mayor of Galle, Methsiri de Silva alleges that some municipal officials have allocated new stalls to their kith and kin. He also claims that some traders granted temporary spaces have rented them to others and moved on to the pavement.
“Councilors manipulate the system and promote unauthorized business in the town. Some traders have not been paying taxes for the stalls they occupy in the Galle Mahajana Pola and I have made provisions under bye-laws to vest them with the municipality. I have taken action to improve the main centers including the pola with the available resources. Some traders have got temporary stalls but have chosen to lease them and do business on the pavement.’’