MARGAO
The deadlock over the maintenance of the SGPDA retail market continues with the vendors first demanding the PDA provide the amenities and stop the retail fish sale at the wholesale fish market before paying the maintenance fee of Rs 50 per day.
The SGPDA, however, has insisted that the vendors start paying the new fees, assuring that all the amenities, as well as a stoppage of retail sale of fish in the wholesale fish market, will fall in place.
A group of retail fish vendors led by president Felix Gonsalves walked out of the meeting after the PDA Chairman Krisha Daji Salkar insisted that the vendors pay the maintenance fee of Rs 50 per day.
Felix pointed out that retail vendors have been demanding for the last 20 years to the PDA to stop the retail fish sale in the wholesale fish market but in vain.
“How can we pay the new fees when there is no business in the retail market,” he wondered.
The PDA Chairman, on the other hand, pointed out that the PDA has cleared the pending bills under the government’s OTS scheme. He said the PDA is ready to provide better amenities to the retail fish vendors, but they are not ready to pay the new maintenance fees. “How can there be maintenance when the vendors are paying just Rs 10 for the last several years? We want them to start paying the new fees and see the results,” he added.
