Sungei Road market vendors have few resources to take up hawker stalls

I refer to the online report “Thieves Market vendors get 50% rebate to take up stalls in hawker centres” (June 16).

While the vendors appreciate the rental rebate offered by the National Environment Agency (NEA) to those who qualify, the low take-up rate is indicative that the initiative has not addressed our concerns.

We are not regular entrepreneurs. Many of us have turned to trade in the Sungei Road market when we lost our jobs to retrenchment, old age and illnesses.

We have few resources to take the risk of applying for a hawker stall — an option NEA has been urging us to take up.

To do so will put us into debt.

Even with a 50 per cent rental rebate, we still have to raise a capital of S$1,000 to S$2,000 or more to cover the initial costs of setting up a stall, which includes one month’s rent, rental deposits, stamp duty, conservancy charges, fees to connect electricity, etc.

More capital will also have to be found to procure new goods for sales since not all used goods can be sold in hawker centres.

The attraction of Sungei Road market to shoppers lies in our low prices and wide range of used goods. Dispersing us to different hawker centres will undermine the market synergy.

We, therefore, appeal to the Government to relocate us to another site, even if it is on a temporary basis. Less than one month to the scheduled closure date (July 10), we have no real alternative to turn to. We face real financial destitution.

Some proposals on potential relocation sites which tie in with existing schemes by the Urban Redevelopment Authority, the Singapore Land Authority and national water agency PUB have been offered by concerned citizens. We hope the Government can give them serious considerations.