MARGAO
Goa’s lone wholesale fish market operating operated by the SGPDA will finally reopen for business from Tuesday with the government paving the way for the opening of fish markets across the State.
President of the Margao Wholesale Fish Traders Association, M Ibrahim, said fish trucks will start arriving at the wholesale fish market on Monday evening and the market will reopen for business as usual from Tuesday.
PDA Chairman Wilfred D’Sa informed that the changes have been made in the wholesale fish market for the time being given that only outside fish comes into the market during the two-month fishing ban.
“Earlier, we had an arrangement in the wholesale fish market wherein areas were earmarked for both the fish traders bringing fish from outside the state and the local boat owners and traditional fishermen. But since fish from the local sources have almost come to a halt because of the ban on fishing, changes will be effected in the market from Tuesday when the wholesale fish market reopens,“ D’Sa said.
To a question, the SGPDA Chairman said the wholesale fish market will reopen with the usual timings and the fee structures, even as he made a fervent plea to the stakeholders, including the traders and the retail vendors, to observe Covid-safety norms, including social distancing.
Though the District Magistrate has issued the order on Sunday, which will ensure the opening of the fish markets across the district, the SGPDA fish market had reopened last week after the SGPDA Chairman took up the matter with Chief Minister Pramod Sawant, who was kind enough in giving the go-ahead signal for the reopening of the PDA fish market.
The CM, however, had asked the PDA chairman to wait for a couple of days to reopen the wholesale fish market, assuring that the Magistrate will issue the new order.
Following the closure of the wholesale fish market for over a month now, fish traders have been holding makeshift wholesale fish markets along the roads across the city, even facing the brunt of police lathis in the bargain.
Will be strict on SOPs: Mapusa council
MAPUSA: With the government giving a green signal for the opening of fish markets across the State, Mapusa Municipal Council is gearing up to open the municipal fish market from Tuesday onwards. Mapusa Chairperson Shubhangi Vaigankar along with Vice-Chairperson Chandrashekar Benkar and Market Committee Chairman Viraj Phadke visited the market on Sunday morning. Vaigankar informed that the council was waiting for the detailed SOPs which will be released by the district collector. “Although positive cases have shown a decline, it won’t take these to shoot up if we don’t follow all the Covid-related guidelines. We will have to implement all the SOPs very strictly,” Vaigankar said. She informed that the civic staff was undertaking cleaning of the fish market while sanitization of the premises will be taken up on Monday.
