After raising the tempo for a “silent” protest, the Mapusa merchant community has abruptly backed out of its decision to demonstrate on Friday, following a late Thursday night meeting with Chief Minister Pramod Sawant ” a move that has triggered murmurs of pressure and a climbdown within the trading community.
Under the banner of the Mapusa Merchants Association (MMA), traders had announced a silent protest at Hutama Chowk on Goa Liberation Day to highlight what they termed as systematic exploitation and administrative apathy by the Mapusa Municipal Council (MMC). However, hours before the scheduled protest, the merchants reneged on their decision after assurances from the Chief Minister.
Sources said the meeting at the CM’s residence was attended by Mapusa MLA Joshua D’Souza, the MMC chief officer and members of the MMA. During the meeting, Sawant reportedly assured the traders that the long-pending issues of lease renewals and arrears would be addressed.
As per the assurances, the Urban Development Secretary will convene a meeting at the Mapusa Municipal Council on December 29 to “find a way out” of the contentious issues related to lease renewals, arrears, blood transfer and third-party transfers.
The sudden withdrawal of the protest comes in sharp contrast to the aggressive posture adopted by the merchants earlier in the week. An aggrieved business community had openly blamed the MMC for deliberately dragging its feet and keeping traders on tenterhooks over renewal of lease agreements and calculation of arrears. The traders had also accused the civic body of creating uncertainty to pressure shopkeepers.
Notably, the business community had publicly targeted local MLA Joshua D’Souza, accusing him of failing to effectively raise their concerns in government and secure a resolution, forcing them to take the protest route.
MMA president Jeetendra Falari and secretary Siddesh Raut, who had been at the forefront of mobilising traders and articulating their grievances, had maintained that the silent protest was necessary to “make their voice heard loud and clear”.
However, the last-minute assurances appear to have blunted the protest momentum, with traders opting to wait for the December 29 meeting ” a decision that some within the market circles see as a retreat under pressure rather than a victory.
