Andkhoi vegetable, fruit stallers demand rent reduction

MAIMANA (Pajhwok): Some vegetables and fruit stallers in the Ankhoi district of northwestern Faryab province have complained against the rent of their stalls while local official pledged to address their demand if there was possibility.

They complained against the drop in their sales said the situation reached at a point from where they could not generate 500 afs for the monthly rent.

Omedullah, who has a stall on the Mandawi road in Andkhoi City, said that he had a moveable stall and could win the bread for my ten member family, but after the municipality to have a stall and pay the rent his profit disappeared, the fruit on his stall spoiled and people met their demanded from other places.

He said, the municipality of Andkhoi charged every staller 10,500 afs at the beginning and asked the stall owners to pay 500 afs monthly rent as well, in such low sales in the market, this amount of money is back breaking.

Najibulla, a vegetable seller has similar complaint, he said I had had a stall at the side of the road and paid 120 afs monthly to the municipality, the level of my sales was good at that time, but the municipality forced him to get the stall and charges us 500 afs monthly rent.

He said: “The ordinary people are not able to buy, it is drought during this year and no one is listening to our complaints … we want a discount in the monthly rent and the municipality must also collect the other stalls from the side of the road to encourage the customers to purchase from our stalls”.

Mohammad Yousuf, the potato seller said: “The attempt of the municipality for making the stalls for fruit and vegetable has brought an order to the city, but now we do not know wither to win the bread for our families or to pay the municipality monthly rent due to the low level of sales”.

Yousuf asked the municipality to decrease the monthly rent of the stalls.

Abdul Sattar, the leader of stallers welcomed municipality initiative to bring vendors at a specific place and added the move helped bring order and discipline in the city. The customers also could find a specific area for fruits, he added.

The complaint of the vendors is legitimate and asked municipality to rethink about the monthly rent of the stalls and asked to round up scattered stalls and bring all to a specific place.

He added, majority of the expectations of the vendors are not realistic, they dump their groceries on the side of the road and sell it on a price that they wish and they do not have the habit to stay in their stalls.

Haji Sayed Aslam, a local elder, has also praised the action of the municipality for collecting the vendors into specified locations, it has cleaned the city and prevented more accidents in the city, he said.

Andkhoi Mayor Damullah Atiqullah Karimi said, the workers and vendors occupied the roads, it was hard for the pedestrians and traffic to move on the roads, so the municipality created specific locations for the stalls.

So far 160 stalls have been built in three locations of the city every stall cost 10,500 afs and every stall owner must also pay 500 afs monthly rent as well, Karimi said.

Referring to the complaints of the sellers he said: “The stalls were built under the supervision of a commission with the lowest cost, the sellers paid for the cost of the stalls, but if there was possibility in the discount of monthly 500 afs amount we will consult about it.”

Aw/nh