Market vendors say rent increase is rotten

There’s another side to the story on the one hundred and seventy-four thousand dollars which vendors at the Queen Square Market say they have paid towards their arrears. When City Councillor Kevin Singh spoke with us last week he said that the council is forced to raise the rental for the stalls because the owners of the temporary market location, Hotchandani Holdings Limited, are demanding a steep increase.  Today News Five spoke with Arun Hotchandani, one of the principals in the company and he said that he finds himself in a compromising position because the contract he has signed with the Belize City Council has already expired.  He said that he purchased the land with the intention of constructing a shopping plaza and he was about to start work on it when the Council came forth and they finalized the rental of the spot.  Now Hotchandani says he has provided an additional portion of land, the adjacent lot where the commercial buses park.  He said that he asked for a minimal increase as his business is on hold by the delay.  And when he did the math, the vendors would only be paying a dollar and twenty five cents more per day in addition to the present charge of ten dollars. But Singh told us that the Council would have to double the rent from ten to twenty dollars in order to pay the difference that the Hotchandani group is demanding until the permanent market and his shopping mall is completed.  But while the contract was signed between the Council and Hotchandani, the most affected parties are the vendors.

Keyanie Cassasola, Market Vendor

keyanie cassasola

“Dehn want double di rent cause everyday wi pay ten dollars, dehn want double it to twenty dollars cause Mr. Hotchandani want more money fi rent ih compound.  We noh come to no agreement yet pan weh wi wah continue pay or nothing like that.”

Marion Ali

“So you’ll just continue paying the ten dollars?”

Keyanie Cassasola

“Yes ma’am.”

julio miranda

Julio Miranda, Market Vendor

“It’s an injustice with the municipal government because in reality, the place is in a bad condition, the economic situation is bad, and they come and put on more and more money.  I’m paying a hundred and fifty and now they want more money.  The whole world is protesting these same things.  It’s terrible.”

Marion Ali

“Who do you blame for the situation?  The City Council or Mr Hotchandani?”

Julio Miranda

“City Council because one hundred and fifty dollars was what I was paying per month, many people have come forth that made their positions known but it is still affecting us.”

Keyanie Cassasola

“I noh really upset wid nobody, I just upset wid di situation dat di rent double and first time I di hear bout di one-twenty-five thing.”

During a meeting on Thursday, the Social Investment Fund said the Michael Finnegan Market would be finished by October.