MARGAO
After repeated failures to meet earlier deadlines, the South Goa Planning and Development Authority (SGPDA) chairman, MLA Krishna Salkar, has announced that the renovated Margao wholesale fish market will now be opened in January next year.
Salkar said the market, which has been lying idle for nearly a year despite completion, was delayed due to demands by MLAs Digambar Kamat and Vijai Sardesai to first appoint agencies for its upkeep and maintenance. He said Sulabh International has already been appointed for toilet maintenance, while a tender for overall market cleanliness could not be floated due to the enforcement of the election code of conduct.
The SGPDA is also yet to finalise the tender for sopo fee collection, raising questions over how the market will function initially. The planning body has faced criticism for not addressing maintenance arrangements earlier. Salkar also appealed to retail vendors to agree to higher sopo fees for proper maintenance of the facility.
