MARGAO
Where do the hawkers come from? Do they enjoy political patronage from the city politicians? If not, why have the Margao Municipal officials and the Margao police turned a blind eye to the hawkers occupying the pavements and footpaths along the Old station road every Sunday? Or, whether the market is organized by a mafia with tacit support of the law enforcing agencies?
These and other questions have come to the fore again as the Sunday market locally known as Chor Bazaar has returned with a bang along the Margao Station road once again. In fact, the Margao station road bustled with the Sunday bazaar along the footpath the pavement right under the nose of the MMC workers and the Margao police, with Madgavkars posing a question or two to the powers that be “ how come the hawkers conduct the business activity along the road without any fear of the law enforcing agencies?
In the past, the Margao police used to conduct raids on the market, even calling the activity 'Chor bazaar' since many a theft case was detected by the men-in-uniform with the recovery of stolen items at the market.
Whether or not stolen property continues to find its way at the Sunday morning market may be a question for debate, but the question that remains unanswered is how come the hawkers and vendors, mostly migrant, use the city footpaths and the pavements to carry out the activity.
Sources pointed out that the Sunday market is found bustling with activity before dawn and continues throughout the morning session.
Margao Municipal Councilor Mahesh Amonkar has been critical of the business activity on the city footpaths and pavements, including the activity in front of the Comunidade square, but neither the Margao Municipal Council nor the police have taken cognizance of the activity for reasons best known to the powers that be.
