MARGAO
Does Chief Minister Pramod Sawant’s writ no longer runs large in the wholesale fish market “ the scene of rampant illegal vending right under the nose of the authorities?
When the Chief Minister had descended in the area last year to have a look at the state of affairs, he was taken back when he found vendors swarming the wholesale fish market road, starting from La Grace hotel. The Chief Minister had immediately issued strict instructions to the Margao Municipal Council Chief Officer to take all possible steps to ensure that the wholesale fish market road is vendor-free.
While Sawant’s diktat had a huge impact, with the civic body implementing the instructions in both letter and spirit, the ground reality now is different. Months down the line, not only has the fruit and vegetable vendors resurfaced, but the entire road is converted into a mega fish market in the morning hours.
Hundreds of migrant fish vendors squat on the wholesale fish market road everyday right under the nose of the authorities. These fish vendors vie for space with other migrant vendors selling fruits and vegetables when the activity is banned along the road.
SGPDA officials have washed their hands off by saying the PDA had no jurisdiction beyond the wholesale fish market. Many a question, however, remains unanswered. One, why is the Margao Municipal Council Administrator Prasanna Acharya and Chief Officer Agnelo Fernandes turning a blind eye to the illegal vending on the wholesale fish market road? That’s not all. Sources say the vendors are made to cough up fees every day to sit on the road, with questions being raised whether the collection goes to the civic body or to any mafia which is involved in collecting money from the vendors.
Take note, one finds MMC workers making their presence felt on the wholesale fish market road, but the moot question that arises is why there is no seriousness and sincerity in complying with the Chief Minister’s instructions to keep the wholesale fish market road free from vendors.
Activist Malcolm Pereira has slammed the authorities for the failure to order a crackdown on the vendors, suspecting the hand of a mafia behind the large-scale vending.
When The Goan called up MMC Chief Officer Agnelo Fernandes to shed light on the abdication of responsibility by the civic body to keep the fish and other vendors at bay, he said the MMC has not allowed any vendors to do business on the road.
He, however, could not answer the presence of hundreds of vendors along the road and outside the PDA wholesale fish market, but promised to crack a whip against the illegal activity.
