New strategy aims to assist city vendors

THE National Capital District Commission (NCDC) is considering rolling out semi-informal and formal market spaces for all vendors in the city, Governor Powes Parkop says.
Parkop said the plan would assist people who had suffered a loss of income from the ban on roadside and street vending during the state of emergency (SOE) period.
Parkop said the 8-Mile betel nut wholesale market would be converted into a vegetable market space for vendors.
The plan is a partnership between NCDC and the Ministry of Housing and Urbanisation and National Housing Corporation.
Parkop visited the market on Tuesday with Housing and Urbanisation Minister Justin Tkatchenko and acting city manager Ravu Frank.
“We are doing all we can to provide regulated, semi-informal and formal market spaces for all our vendors because we have to stop all roadside informal trading,” Parkop said.
“So, this is our effort to provide all this space. We will open the Wild Life Market. But, we are also opening up semi-formal markets including the 8-Mile betel nut wholesale market.”
“We are working on one at 9-Mile and the other at Morobe block and a number of other sites in the city.”