HONIARA City Council has appeared to have lost the battle to keep betel nuts sellers off the capital’s streets.
Despite the best of efforts, the main streets are once more occupied by vendors.
A good number of them were seen sitting in front of shops, and at the bus stop at the Central market selling their betel-nuts.
During the past weeks, Honiara City law enforcement officers were seen patrolling the streets, but betel-nut vendors seemed to be oblivious to them.
Though the law enforcers remove a good number of people sitting along the streets selling betel-nut and cigarettes, most of the vendors would return once law enforcers disappeared.
And whenever the law enforcers are patrolling the streets, the vendors will pack their betel-nuts into their bag and once they disappeared, the vendors will start their sale again.
City clerk Charles Kelly early this year had advised betel nut vendors to sell their products at Kukum market because they won’t be issued licences to sell on the streets.
He had said that the removal of betel nut vendors from the streets was done according to the council’s by-laws so the public must respect that.
