MARGAO
Roadside gaddas and gaddas doing business on road widening and public spaces in the commercial capital have come under lens in the High Court order in the suo moto Public Interest Litigation on illegal constructions.
For, while the fast food gaddas per se may not be illegal in nature if they are doing business with licences from the civic body, most of the gaddas may have the licence to run moveable handcarts, implying they cannot remain stationary at one place.
Margao Municipal engineers and officials are presently on the job to identify the number of illegal constructions on the roadsides, including road widening areas such as roadways/ highways/ major roads. A preliminary list compiled by the Margao Municipal Council shows that dozens of structures have been found doing business in road widening areas or on the edge of the road in the commercial capital, including the gaddas running fast food business.
A senior Municipal official told The Goan that gaddas per se may not be illegal if they comply with the licence conditions, including the condition they have to move with the handcarts and not remain stationary. “We have come across dozens of gaddas running fast food in the road widening areas or in public spaces. Most of these gaddas possess licence to run handcarts, meaning they have to move around with the handcarts. But, in most cases, these gaddas have become a permanent feature along the roadsides, bus stands et al,” he said.
The official added: “If the gaddas owners want to escape action from the authorities, they will have to tow away the handcarts back to their place of residence after business hours instead of leaving the carts at roadsides and in public places.”
The official informed that the civic body is compiling the list of illegal business establishments in the commercial capital, including gaddas operating in road widening areas. He, however, pointed out that the survey of identifying the illegal structures and establishments is an ongoing process and the illegal structures will be added continuously to the list as and when the illegal structures raise their ugly head in the city.
Incidentally, the PWD, Road Division had conducted a survey of the illegal gaddas located in the road widening areas in the commercial capital over two years ago. Notices were pasted on the gaddas for their removal before PWD officials buckled under political pressure abandoning the exercise midway. Successive PWD and MMC officials turned a blind eye to the illegalities along the city roadsides, though the business activities contributed to traffic snarls, before the High Court came out with the order in the suo moto PIL, issuing directions against the illegal constructions.
HC directives to Municipalities, CCP
- Upon preparation of such reports, the Chief Officer/ Commissioner shall take immediate action against such illegal constructions by following the directions of the Supreme Court in the case of Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation v Nawab Khan Gulab Khan and Ors. (Supra). Notices shall be issued to the violators to demolish the illegal structure within 15 days from the receipt of the notice, failing which the Chief Officer/ Commissioner shall cause to remove such illegal structure within 15 days thereafter.
- In appropriate cases Chief Officer/ Commissioner shall seal commercial structures, where there is no construction licence granted by the Municipality/ CCP or where no technical clearance is granted under the Goa Land Development and Building Construction Regulations, 2010
- Upon receipt of reports from the municipalities/ CCP, GSPCB shall inspect, prepare report and stop/ seal/ close such illegal commercial structure on the edge/ road-widening area abutting the roadways/ highways/ major roads
