MARGAO
Even as the Margao Municipal Council on Friday kicked off its cleanliness drive in the stinking wholesale fish market, questions were raised in the market whether the SGPDA would muster courage and crack a whip against the illegalities and also plug the revenue leakage to the Authority.
These questions assume significance and comes against the backdrop of the violation of the SGPDA resolution, which had barred parking of fish transporting vehicles in the wholesale fish market after business hours. SGPDA official Paul Gomes, who was present in the wholesale fish market, admitted that fish trucks have resumed parking inside the wholesale fish market after 10 am in violation of the PDA conditions while granting NOC for the fish traders to do business.
He said around 20-25 vehicles were found parked in the wholesale fish market on Friday, raising questions on the PDA’s seriousness in enforcing the conditions laid down in the NOC. That’s not all. Paul said while only a couple of fish traders have the permission to store plastic crates in the market, a whole lot of traders dump their crates in the market without any authority or permission from the PDA.
The issue over the fish cutters remains unresolved till date. While hardly six fish cutters are authorised to do business in the wholesale fish market, Paul admitted that around 50 fish cutters are carrying out the business of fish cutting in the market, denying huge revenue for the civic body.
“The PDA receives only Rs 6,000 as fees paid by the fish traders. The remaining 50 fish cutters are doing illegal business. We do not know who is collecting the fees from the fish cutters. I will place a report before the PDA to either allow the 50 fish cutters in the market by imposing fees or evict the cutters from the market,” Paul said, while saying the PDA is losing revenue to the tune of Rs 50,000 per month from the fish cutters.
When the media questioned about the presence of the migrant vendors in the wholesale fish market when the PDA swears by Goem, Goemkar and Goemkarponn, Paul said the responsibility of removing the illegal vendors from the market lies with the sopo contractor, adding that he would submit a report before the PDA authority pointing out to the presence of the migrant fish vendors in the market.
