Street markets to fall under local councils

The management of registered street hawkers in eight localities is being handed over to the respective local councils in a process aimed at having better-organised markets.

Parliamentary Secretary Edwin Vassallo yesterday gave details of the markets' reorganisation in Qormi, Attard, Zejtun, Birkirkara, Paola, Naxxar, Sliema and Birzebbuga.

The names of nearly 900 street hawkers who operate in these localities are being listed in the Government Gazette and each one shall be allocated an area for their stall.

Mr Vassallo explained that the councils in question were now responsible for deciding how big their respective market should be and how many hawkers are allowed to set up a stall, putting an end to the previous disorganisation.

Councils have long complained about the hawkers' law-of-the-jungle attitude and the way markets choked the roads and blocked traffic.

All the registered hawkers are now being asked to call at the council nearest to their stalls and fill in an identification form by the end of next month.

This procedure is being carried out to confirm that the street hawker does actually hold the licence to operate. Following this, the council will then hand over the verification of registration.

Mr Vassallo said the councils would now be in a position to know exactly who operates within their locality and can, from time to time, carry out inspections to make sure there are no unregistered hawkers.

Every council was obliged to keep a waiting list of sellers who wished to operate and could also establish procedures for the streets to be cleaned once the market is over. Mr Vassallo said the other street markets in Vittoriosa, Valletta, Marsaxlokk, Mosta, Zurrieq, Zebbug and Luqa would undergo a similar process in future.

"At the moment I am in the process of personally going to these markets to meet the sellers and get them to register their stalls.

It is a time-consuming effort but I have to personally allay their fears that their livelihood is not being threatened and that this is just a process to bring more order to their business," he said.