Mayor Samran made his pledge to more than 150 vendors who turned up at Provincial Hall today (Dec 4).
More than 50 of them entered the main meeting room to discuss the issue with high-ranking officials, including Phuket Vice Governor Khajonkiet Rakpanichmanee and Phuket Public Health Office Director Bancha Khakong.
In the meeting, Mayor Samran announced that he and V/Gov Khajonkiet had found a new site where vendors could set up an entirely new market, near the Adult Association and Children’s Development Center in Soi Thanuthep, Chalong.
“The two rai of land belongs to the Treasury Department and the centre is seldom used,” Mayor Samran said.
“I would like to built a new modern market place for Chalong people at this new site, which will cost about B30 million to complete,” he added.
However, until that the new market is built, the vendors will need to set up shop at a temporary market, which today was agreed to be the existing market in front of Phuket Country Home.
Yet despite a new alternative site being found, some vendors had doubts about whether the existing market vendors at Phuket Country Home would welcome them.
“How can we be sure that we will not face the same problem like last time?” asked Jarae Chuaybamrung, one of the vendors, referring to the failed attempt to initially temporarily relocate the Chalong vendors to the Baan Nakok Market. (See story here.)
“The existing vendors (at Phuket Country Home) will not be happy with us when we move in and starting trading as normal,” he said.
Mayor Samran replied that he considers finding the vendors a new home a “personal responsibility”.
“I have already spent about B400,000 of my own money to renovate the market at Phuket Country Home so that Chalong vendors and their 75 market stalls could move there,” he said.
“I will resign if I cannot manage that place for you guys. I promise that there will be no problem at the new marketplace because I have confirmed with the existing vendors already – and they have no problems with this,” Mayor Samran assured.
V/Gov Khajonkieat concluded the meeting, by saying, “The new temporary marketplace has been found and the vendors have agreed to move to the new place – and the Chalong Hospital project will go on.
“December 20 will be the last day for all vendors. We can now finally begin to begin and clearing the land for the hospital before the end of this year,” V/Gov. Khajonkiet concluded.
Adding pressure to the market vendors to move is that the family who donated the 10 rai of land for the Chalong Hospital have reiterated that they donated the land on the agreement that it was only used to build a public health facility. (See story here.)