the goan I network
MARGAO
A day after the media exposed the Margao Municipal Council over its failure to enforce the ban on the use of plastic bags at the Purumentachem fest, market inspectors and other civic officials descended on the fair at the Old Market on Monday and confiscated plastic bags.
Caught on the wrong foot on Sunday with no official around to enforce the ban on the use of plastic bags at the fair, Margao Municipal Council Chairperson Babita Prabhudesai on Monday reminded that the responsibility of enforcing the ban on plastic rests with the Chief Officer and his staff including the market inspectors.
Facing flak for not banning the use of plastic at the fair in both letter and spirit, the MMC Chief Officer Sidhivinayak Naik later dispatched a team of market inspectors
and other officials to the Old Market areas to enforce
the ban.
Sources informed that while the official warned the vendors to stop using plastic bags at the fair, the market inspectors are believed to have confiscated plastic bags in the evening.
If MMC officials are to be believed, the market inspectors may launch a drive against the vendors for selling plastic bags by imposing fines.
The MMC was literally caught on the wrong foot on day one of the Purumentachem fest on Sunday when no official was found around to enforce the ban on plastic bags, with the venue only displaying banners banning the use of plastic.
In the meantime, Goan vendors have complained to the media over the high sopo rates charged by the civic body at the Purumentachem fest.
However, when the media drew the attention of the municipal chairperson and the CO to the allegations of high sopo rates, they only said the affected vendors should lodge their complaints in writing to the municipality.
