PANAJI
The Corporation of the City of Panaji (CCP) has yet again made a move to clear the quagmire in its market where no rents are being paid to it and served yet another notice to some 400 traders occupying space to either clear the dues or vacate.
The notices were issued by CCP commissioner Clen Madeira last week and directs the traders to either pay the rent within seven days or vacate their stalls.
Such notices, however, have been issued to these traders on several occasions in the past but the latter have ignored them each time armed by the loophole in the law where they are in possession of the stalls/shops but no formal lease agreements exist.
This situation arose back in 2004 when traders were hurriedly relocated in the new market complex by the Goa State Infrastructure Development Corporation (GSIDC) which built it before handing it over to the CCP. No lease agreements were executed and the authorities procrastinated on it.
A CCP official said, the accumulated rent of these traders has now added up to several crores of rupees. In several cases, stalls and shops have been sub-let to third parties adding to the complexity of the problem.
This market issue has been at the centre of heated exchanges between the ruling and the opposition groups in the CCP and several mayors had attempted to resolve the impasse by holding meetings with the traders and negotiating a deal where they sign the lease agreements. The process however never reached fruition.
