PANAJI
The Astami fair held in the run-up to the Ganesh Chaturthi festival may have earned the capital's civic body much criticism from sections of the citizenry, especially netizens, due to chaos and perceived environmental damage along the Mandovi riverfront promenade but those at the helm aren't complaining.
For, the cash-starved Corporation of the City of Panaji (CCP) has netted a gross revenue of a record Rs 1.05 crore from the 400-odd stalls which did business on the stretch between the Panaji-Betim ferry wharf and the Campal park.
The CCP had charged each stall operator a lumpsum computed on the basis of a daily charge of Rs 250 per-square metre and additionally, a fee of Rs 2,400 to off-set costs of waste management and general sanitation.
CCP officials said some of the stalls, particularly those dealing with furniture, had stayed on beyond September 6, the last day of the fair.
The additional revenue has come from these stall owners who operated beyond the deadline for a few days, an official said.
This traditional Astami fair had begun on August 26 and was to go on until Ganesh Chaturthi eve on September 6. But CCP permits a few stalls some additional days to wind up.
The net revenue earned from the fair this year was Rs 1.05 crore, which is a record, the official said.
Earlier this year, the civic body in the port town of Vasco had earned Rs 1.04 crore from similar activity during the Saptah festival.
