MARGAO
Former deputy chief minister and leader of the Margao Municipal Gandhi Market Vegetable and Readymade Garments Vendors Association, Manohar Ajgaonkar, has issued a 24-hour ultimatum to the Margao Municipal Council (MMC) to clear all illegal vendors from the city’s roadsides or face a massive stir.
Visibly agitated, Ajgaonkar told PWD Minister Digambar Kamat, who represents the Margao constituency, that he should declare vending zones in the city if he was so concerned about illegal vendors, including those operating in front of the Margao police station.
Ajgaonkar issued the ultimatum to MMC Chief Officer Madhu Narvekar during a media briefing at Gandhi Market on Friday morning. He also directed his ire at the sopo fee collectors, alleging that they were collecting hefty fees from illegal vendors, as a result of which the MMC had turned a blind eye to the unauthorised vending.
“You go to any road in the city and you will come across illegal vending. This is contempt of the High Court’s directions. Portuguese-era gaddas were moved in compliance with the High Court’s order in the late 1990s, but now illegal vendors are mushrooming across the city, right under the nose of the MMC Chief Officer,” he charged.
He also questioned the Margao police for turning a blind eye to roadside vending that was disrupting traffic.
“How are vendors at Gandhi Market expected to do business if customers can buy vegetables and fruits from vendors operating along roadsides across the city? We want to send a message loud and clear to the MMC Chief Officer that vendors from Gandhi Market will also do business on the roads if there is no action against illegal vending,” he added.
Referring to reports that PWD Minister Digambar Kamat had said vendors operating opposite the Margao police station hailed from the hinterland talukas of Quepem and Canacona, Ajgaonkar said, “If Kamat is so concerned about these vendors from Quepem and Canacona, he should declare vending zones and legalise their activities.”
Demanding that the MMC Chief Officer direct the civic body to clear all illegal vendors from the city’s roadsides, Ajgaonkar said, “No illegal roadside vending should be allowed by the MMC anywhere in the city.”
