the goan I network
VASCO
Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar had laid the foundation stone for the proposed modern market complex on October 24, 2013, the birthday anniversary of late Matanhy Saldanha, in the presence of Cortalim MLA Alina Saldanha, but the project has been delayed well after its scheduled completion.
The new market complex being built by Goa State Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited (GSIDC) has proposed a basement parking for citizens, while fish vendors and meat shops are to be allotted space on the first floor of the complex.
At present, fishermen and vendors sell meat and vegetables in a small area and the present structure is hardly suitable to conduct marketing activities. The leaking roofs and frequent power cuts during the ongoing monsoon has made it even more difficult for traders, vendors and public alike.
The number of people visiting the present fish and meat market rises steeply on Sundays or during local feasts and hence, causes a huge traffic jam on the narrow road connecting the locality to the market.
"We were promised by Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar that the new market complex would be completed within 11 months, but three-and-half years have passed and we have still got nothing concrete," lamented Inacio Fernandes, a local fish
vendor.
"We are forced to sell fish in pathetic conditions and heaps of garbage are lying everywhere around the premises. The place has now been infested with mosquitoes and we practically cannot sit here for a minute in the evenings. In the monsoon, there are a lot of power cuts evenings and no one is really concerned about us or our well-being," he added.
Another vendor, speaking on condition of anonymity, said: "There is no water supply provided and we are forced to draw water from an ill-maintained well in the vicinity to clean the market. There is no garbage collection done here nor are authorities concerned about our plight."
A meat vendor, Rock Fernandes requested local MLA Alina Saldanha to complete the modern market complex as soon as possible.
Incomplete Cortalim market keeps vendors outdoors
An inordinate delay in construction of the new modern market complex at Cortalim has forced vendors to carry out their trade in poor and inadequate conditions at the present makeshift shed.
