PANAJI
Months after it was declared unsafe, the officials of the Corporation of the City of Panaji (CCP) carried out the demolition of the old Panaji market building amid a standoff with shop owners.
The demolition, which began in the presence of police, was initially halted after affected shop owners demanded a written assurance from CCP regarding their reinstallation once the work is completed.
Several shopkeepers then moved the High Court of Bombay at Goa seeking a stay order, with the matter scheduled for hearing today at 2:30 pm.
However, the demolition work soon resumed.
“Despite the matter in the High Court, the demolition work continued,” some shop owners alleged.
Panaji Police were present during the demolition work while the shop owners reiterated their demand for a formal written commitment from CCP. They said they were not opposed to the demolition but wanted official documentation guaranteeing that all affected shops would be reinstalled.
“We are not against the demolition. All we want is a written assurance from CCP that all the shops will be reinstalled after demolition. We need paperwork,” said one shop owner.
They stated that CCP authorities had verbally informed them on April 10 that they would be accommodated again after the demolition, but no written assurance had been issued.
A total of 29 shops were housed in the building, though only 10 shop owners were asked to vacate immediately for safety reasons when declared unsafe.
Shopkeepers also stated that although the building had been declared dangerous nearly a year ago, repeated requests for relocation were delayed by the authorities.
