MAPUSA
The unsteady relation between the Mapusa merchants and the vendors in the market reached a flashpoint on Saturday morning, after a verbal altercation between one of the merchants and a vendor resulted in filing of cross complaints against each other at the police station.
Two vendors “ Chandrapal Nishad and Manjith Nishad “ were later placed under preventive arrest.
It all started when a merchant, Nilesh Naik of Damu Naik Store, near the pottery market questioned a vendor squatting in front of his shop blocking the entry to his shop.
A verbal dual ensured between the shop owner and the two vendor brothers. In the heat of the moment, Nilesh knocked down a pile of sarees belonging to the vendors. The agitated vendors went to the police station and filed a complaint against Nilesh.
After learning about the complaint, the Mapusa merchants along with its president, Ashish Shirodkar also rushed to the police station and lodged a cross complaint against the two vendors.
“For long, we have been putting up with the tantrums of the vendors. The chief officer and the chairperson of the Mapusa Municipal Council should take immediate corrective action against illegal vendors that block our shops in the market,” Shirodkar said, while speaking to the media near the police station.
He said the merchants have had enough and wanted the police to take tough action on these “outsider” vendors.
“These vendors from outside the State come and sit in the open spaces with the blessings of the councillors. When they start dictating terms to us, what are we ordinary Goans supposed to do?” Shirodkar questioned and expected the authorities to take stern action against them.
Later, Mapusa police arrested the two vendor brothers under section 34 IPC and seized their goods.
