A CCP bulldozer demolishes part of an unsafe building at the old Panaji market on Friday.
PANAJI
Panaji witnessed high drama on Friday morning as the Corporation of the City of Panaji (CCP) moved in to demolish part of a building in the city’s main market square which was declared unsafe and evacuated last year.
The structure had been sealed off by the authorities on grounds that it posed a serious risk to public safety even as the issue of interim rehab of the tenants was being fought in the courts.
The demolition drive began in the morning under heavy police presence as bulldozers rolled in and razed part of the condemned building. The move came just hours before the High Court was scheduled to hear the matter at 2:30 pm, the affected traders alleged, calling the action deliberate, premature and unjust.
However, the Bombay High Court granted no relief to the traders and permitted the capital's civic body to continue its demolition exercise when it did take up the matter.
Shopkeepers, some of whom have operated for over five decades, accused the CCP of destroying their livelihoods without offering any rehabilitation plan.
“Fifty years of hard work was wiped out in a few hours. Families now face starvation,” said one aggrieved trader. Others said they were denied a fair chance to present their case in court.
CCP officials meanwhile said that the building was a public hazard and required urgent action. But traders countered that the Corporation should have waited for the court’s ruling.
The sudden operation disrupted the bustling market atmosphere and tension escalated briefly as the affected traders gathered in protest, vowing to fight the matter legally.
The traders’ association declared that they would pursue the matter until the CCP provides clear alternative premises to carry on their business.
Meanwhile, traders and a few residents from the adjacent private 'Falcon' building where the famed 'Cream Centre' outlet is located have also been temporarily evacuated until the demolition work is completed.
