MARGAO
The hustle and bustle slowly returned in the commercial capital on Monday, a day after the South Goa district Collector Ruchika Katyal eased lockdown restrictions in the municipal markets.
Not only shops and establishments opened in the markets, even the number of vehicles on roads increased substantially as evident by the volume of traffic passing through the city.
After remaining closed for close to a month, the Margao Municipal New Market and the Gandhi Market reopened on Monday after the Collector’s order permitting opening of the municipal and panchayat markets for groceries, eatables and rain protection items.
A couple of sausage and pork shops were open too in the New market on Monday.
In fact, most of the shops in the New Market dealing in rain wear, besides groceries made a brisk business on Monday morning. Shops selling plastic sheets and tarpaulin around the New Market also made good business with people from Salcete thronging the markets in the morning.
The police and the Margao municipal market inspectors shut down a couple of garment shops which had also opened in the morning taking advantage of the Collector’s order. MMC officials said these shops were mostly dealing in garments, but they opened their shutters taking advantage of the Collector’s order.
President of New Market Traders Association Vinod Shirodkar said around 40-50 per cent of the shops in the New Market opened on Monday as per the Collector’s order. “Since people from Margao and surrounding areas visited the market to lay their hands on rain protection items, most of the traders made good business today”, he said.
Shirodkar thanked the South Goa district Collector, Margao Municipal Chief Officer Agnelo Fernandes and Margao MLA Digmabar Kamat for sympathizing with the plight of the traders and taking the decision to ease the lockdown restrictions.
He said the traders will cooperate with the authorities in enforcing social distancing norms, saying customers who visited the market on Monday had all come with double face masks.
Vegetables and fruits stalls also opened in the adjoining Municipal Gandhi market, even as the police maintained a close vigil on the violation of Covid safety norms.
