MARGAO
The Margao Wholesale Fish Market Association on Tuesday warned that the traders will chalk out future course of action in the event the South Goa Planning and Development Authority fails to tender the sopo fee collection tender for the wholesale fish market.
The association has also decided to demand that the SGPDA tender the sopo fee collection only after reducing the fees per hour for fish transporting trucks entering the market.
Addressing the media after the annual general body meeting, association President M Ibrahim said the SGDPA has to date not tendered the sopo fee collection when the High Court deadline given to it ends on December 27.
“We would like to tell the SGPDA that the association and the traders will take a united decision if the sopo tender is not tendered within the deadline set by the High Court,” he said.
Maintaining that the current fees charged by the PDA for fish vehicles entering the market are exorbitant, Ibrahim said charging Rs 500 per hour for a vehicle is on the higher side. “A trader ends up paying a fee of Rs 2000 if his vehicle remains in the market for four hours. This is too exorbitant,” he said.
Ibrahim asserted that the PDA cannot levy such huge fees when the planning authority does not provide any amenities to the traders. “If you see the condition of the wholesale fish market, the charges do not commensurate with the facilities offered by the PDA. We can consider paying such fees only after the PDA rebuilds the wholesale fish market with modern amenities,” he said, adding that wholesale fish markets in other parts of the country charge a specific fee for the whole day and not for fixed hours.
The association has lamented that none of the authorities concerned, including the health department, have inspected the wholesale fish market in recent months. “Hygiene is missing in the market, but the health department has been conspicuous by its absence. We want the health officials to see for themselves the state of affairs of the market,” he demanded.
Ibrahim, however, had no answer when the media drew his attention to the unauthorized parking of fish transporting vehicles on the wholesale fish market road. He defended the parking saying the traders are paying sopo fees to the MMC-appointed contractor.
