Vendors at the Seaqaqa market in Macuata say the facility is being increasingly misused by youths who gather there after hours to drink alcohol, damaging the wooden tables intended for selling produce and undermining livelihoods. Market vendor Pratibah Kumari described the problem as persistent and growing, and said repeated appeals to authorities have so far yielded no meaningful action.
“When we go home, some people come and drink here on the tables. These tables are not meant for sitting; they are for selling,” Kumari said, describing how the market’s ageing wooden structures are being treated as benches by late‑night groups. She warned the timber is already weakened by age. “The wood is already old and not strong. Sometimes, even during the day, when the tables are empty, people sit on them.”
Vendors say the misuse is more than an annoyance: it is a threat to the market’s fabric and to traders who depend on the facility to sell food and other produce. Kumari stressed that Seaqaqa market serves vendors from all communities in the area, and that damage to benches and tables reduces the space and safety needed for daily business. “This place is meant for vendors, not for others to misuse. People of all backgrounds come here to sell,” she said.
The problem, vendors say, has been reported repeatedly to local authorities but without results. “We have raised this numerous times with authorities, but it has fallen on deaf ears,” Kumari said. She also pointed to the proximity of a police station and questioned why officers have not intervened. “The police station is nearby, but they do not seem to notice people sitting here at night. They should come and tell them not to sit here because the structures are old.”
The complaint highlights broader concerns about maintenance and management of community markets in the region, where facilities often rely on limited local resources for upkeep. While the Seaqaqa market remains an important outlet for household incomes and access to fresh produce, vendors say continued neglect could lead to greater damage and potentially unsafe conditions if the timber structures fail under weight.
Vendors are calling for clearer enforcement of market hours, regular patrols or visits by police, and urgent repairs or replacement of the wooden sales tables to prevent further deterioration. For the market traders, the request is simple: protect the space so it can continue to support families who depend on daily sales.
No official response from the police or local council was included in the vendors’ account, and it remains unclear whether any formal inspections or maintenance plans are scheduled. The Seaqaqa market dispute is the latest example of tensions between community spaces and after‑hours misuse; vendors say swift action is needed to preserve the facility and the livelihoods it supports.
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