MARGAO
Remember how the Margao Municipal Council had gone about clearing the passages in the markets post-New Market fire incident.
Well, it’s now a month since the fire incident had gutted three shops and had threatened the entire New Market business hub, but encroachments have returned back on the passages in the New Market area right under the very nose of the Margao Municipal authorities.
After the in-charge of the South Goa District Disaster Management Cell, Additional Collector, South Dipak Desai along with a team of officials had descended in the New Market area to take stock of the ground reality, Margao Municipal officials, including the market inspectors had gone overboard clearing the city passages of the rampant encroachments.
In fact, the busy Sadekar lane in the New Market, symbolising rampant encroachments in the city passages, was found completely free of the obstructions and encroachments.
Less than a month after the fire incident, encroachments are back again along the Sadekar lane. What’s surprising to note is that no action has been forthcoming from the Margao Municipal officials and the market inspectors to the glaring encroachments on the Sadekar lane.
The situation at other passages and footpaths is no different. Encroachments by hawkers on the footpath at the Comunidade square have not stopped till date. There’s an eerie silence in the corridors of the Margao Municipality to the encroachments at the Comunidade square as well as the pavements and passages in the congested markets.
