MAPUSA
If you are a regular at the Mapusa fish and meat market, it’s time to think twice before stepping into this cesspool of filth and contamination.
A damning health inspection report has revealed shocking levels of unsanitary conditions, illegal operations and an imminent public health hazard lurking in the market.
A joint inspection conducted by the Health Officer of the Urban Health Centre, Dr Dinesh Parab, along with a sanitary inspector and municipal authorities, has exposed the appalling state of the fish and meat market.
The report has confirmed that the market is not only functioning in a squalid and putrid environment but is also operating without mandatory health permissions. The findings are alarming.
None of the meat stall owners possess the required health No Objection Certificate (NOC), raising serious concerns about the quality and safety of the meat being sold to unsuspecting customers.
Further, chicken shop owners have been found blatantly violating hygiene standards, with meat being stored in unsanitary conditions.
The inspection team noted a complete lack of proper water connections and a shocking failure to dispose of chicken and meat waste responsibly.
As if this weren’t enough, the drainage system in and around the market is an open disaster. Gutters and chambers are choked with filth and stagnant dirty water, releasing a noxious stench that engulfs the area.
Plastic waste and garbage are strewn across corridors, while public toilets “crucial for maintaining hygiene “ remain closed.
Even more disturbing, broken gutter covers allow contaminated water to flow directly into a nearby nullah, which itself is clogged with garbage.
Highlighting the gravity of the situation, Dr Parab has written to the Chief Officer of the Mapusa Municipal Council, Chandrakant Shetkar, urging immediate corrective measures to avert a full-blown public health crisis.
The report has also been forwarded to the Sub-Divisional Magistrate of Bardez and the Director of the Food and Drugs Administration for swift action.
Authorities must act urgently to clean up the mess before it spirals into a catastrophic health hazard.
The Mapusa fish and meat market, in its current state, is a ticking time bomb of disease and contamination.
