the goan I network
MAPUSA
Mapusa Municipal Council Chairperson Ryan Braganza on Wednesday said Goans were not hard working and unable to compete while a senior councilor said migration of Goans has left a vacuum in the traditional occupations and opened the gates for people of the other States to take over.
“Goans do not want to work hard. They cannot do competitive business…Our local vendors have outsourced their space to non-Goans in the Mapusa municipal market,” Braganza said.
“The accusation that we are removing Goan vendors and giving space to outsiders is baseless. Our own people let out their space to outsiders. The MMC is not involved in this,” he added.
The chairperson was addressing the media after a local resident, Shreha Dhargalkar, approached the civic body against harassment of vendors in the market.
It may be recalled, a group of youth under the banner of Revolutionary Goans had recently descended on the Mapusa flower market and demanded eviction of outsiders who were doing business and denying Goans their rightful place in the market.
Continuing, Braganza said if Goans were allotted space in the market they would sit at their allotted place just for 10 to 12 days and later sublet the same space to others.
According to senior councillor and former chairperson, Sandip Falari said most Goans have migrated to US, Canada, UK and other parts of the world, leaving a big vacuum in the traditional occupations back home.
“There are no Goans who can take up work of masonry, carpentry, plumbing or any other skilled or manual jobs in the State. We have to depend on people from other states for this work,” Falari said.
Seconding the chairperson, he said Goan vendors who were allotted space in the market have failed to find persons within their family to take up the vending jobs and, therefore, have outsourced the space to other people.
“If the municipal council starts to take action against the vendors for subletting the space then those who will get affected will finally be Goans only,” he lamented.
Falari and the chairperson, however, failed to respond as to who stopped them from taking action against such illegalities indulged by the locals in the market.
Donning the mantle of an activist, Shreha Dhargalkar, in her memorandum to the chairperson alleged that some “goons” were seen in Mapusa market harassing the poor and indigenous people and vendors in the market.
“Lot of photos are shared on the social networking sites showing vendors like flower, fruit and other article sellers being harassed and tortured. What right does anyone have to enter the market and enquire with the vendors without due authority of law,” Dhargalkar asked and demanded that the issue be taken up with police.
She also demanded action against vendors who have sublet their space in the market to outsiders or unauthorized persons for a price without intimating the municipality.
