Margao fish market misses another launch deadline

Strays are taking shelter on the platforms as the market missed yet another deadline.

MARGAO
The saga of missed deadlines in the commissioning of the multi-crore redeveloped Margao Wholesale Fish Market—Goa’s only wholesale fish market—continues, with the South Goa Planning and Development Authority (SGPDA) once again failing to fulfil its latest promise.

The latest missed deadline assumes added significance as it follows a public announcement made by SGPDA Chairman and MLA Krishna Salkar in the presence of PWD Minister and SGPDA member Digambar Kamat and Goa State Infrastructure Development Corporation (GSIDC) Chairman and MLA Michael Lobo during an inspection of the market on July 2.

At the time, Salkar had declared that the redeveloped fish market would be commissioned on August 1, coinciding with the commencement of the new fishing season. However, with August 1 having come and gone, the market remains unopened, adding another chapter to the prolonged delay in operationalising the redeveloped facility. A visit by The Goan to the wholesale fish market on Sunday revealed little change on the ground.

Fish traders continued to conduct their wholesale business in the open area outside the redeveloped market, a space that was recently hot-mixed and tarred by the Public Works Department. The improvement in the approach area had raised expectations that the market was finally ready for inauguration.

Inside the redeveloped premises, however, the fish vending platforms remained deserted. Instead of traders and customers, stray dogs occupied the platforms, using the empty structures as resting spots on Sunday morning. The deserted premises stood in sharp contrast to the bustling trading activity taking place outside.

The scene reinforced the perception that despite repeated assurances from the authorities, the long-awaited commissioning of the Union government-funded wholesale fish market continues to remain elusive.

Questions over delay persist

The failure to inaugurate the market on the promised date has once again raised several unanswered questions regarding the status of the project.

It remains unclear whether the Goa State Infrastructure Development Corporation has completed the additional works suggested by the SGPDA following feedback received from fish traders. During the July 2 inspection, several traders had reportedly pointed out certain deficiencies and sought modifications before shifting their operations into the new market.

The issue assumes importance because GSIDC Chairman Michael Lobo had publicly assured stakeholders that the Corporation was prepared to undertake all the remaining works by spending an additional Rs 25 lakh to address the concerns raised by the traders.

A month later, there is no official clarity on whether those works have commenced, are currently in progress, or are yet to begin. Neither has there been any communication from the SGPDA or the Goa State Industrial Development Corporation explaining the reasons behind the latest delay or indicating a revised date for commissioning the facility.

Retail fish trade thrives at wholesale market

Retail fish business goes unabated at the Margao wholesale fish market when the market is meant for only wholesale fish business.

MARGAO: It is a sheer irony that while the SGPDA’s wholesale market remains officially unopened, its premises have turned into a bustling hub for retail fish sales, with dozens of vendors, including migrants, conducting business every day.

The open spaces between the fish-selling platforms inside the redeveloped market have effectively been transformed into a parallel retail fish market. Vendors have occupied these areas daily, openly conducting retail trade, with locals alleging SGPDA patronage.

The development has raised serious questions over the functioning of the planning body and whether it is appropriate to allow retail fish sales inside a facility specifically redeveloped as a wholesale fish market.

The activity has also lent credence to long-standing allegations by fish vendors operating at the adjoining SGPDA retail fish market at Old Market that the authority has allowed a parallel retail fish market to flourish within the wholesale market premises.

A visit to the redeveloped market revealed dozens of fish vendors occupying not only the open spaces between the fish platforms but also areas outside the market building. The vendors appeared to have established a permanent presence, taking advantage of the prolonged delay in inaugurating and commissioning the facility.

Significantly, these vendors did not move into the market overnight. Their presence over several months suggests that they have effectively been provided dedicated space inside the redeveloped facility despite it not being officially operational.

Sources recalled that during the tenure of the previous BJP government led by the late Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar, a limited number of traditional fish vendors from the Salcete coastal belt had been permitted to operate from the wholesale market. However, over time, their numbers have grown substantially, with migrant fish sellers now dominating retail trade at the site.

Sopo fee row adds to market dispute

Sources in the know say that fish vendors operating at the SGPDA’s mega retail fish market at the old market complex had earlier resisted the planning body’s decision to increase sopo fees. Their primary contention was that the SGPDA should first eliminate the parallel retail fish market operating from the wholesale fish market before imposing higher charges on vendors functioning at the authorised retail market.

Despite repeated objections from retail market vendors, the situation at the wholesale fish market has remained largely unchanged. Retail fish sales continue unabated at the wholesale fish market, leaving many to question why the planning body has failed to act and whether different rules are being applied to different sections of fish vendors.

With the redeveloped wholesale fish market still awaiting formal inauguration more than 18 months after its completion, stakeholders are now demanding answers from the SGPDA over the delay, the continued unauthorised retail activity within the premises, and the authority’s apparent inability—or unwillingness—to restore the facility to its intended purpose.