the goan I network
MARGAO
The Margao Municipal Council on Thursday set a 30-day ultimatum on the traders in the Municipal New market to obtain the trade licence and clear the encroachments from the Municipal drain before the civic body cracks whip against the violators.
Margao Municipal Chairperson Babita Prabhudesai and Chief Officer Siddhivinayak Naik told the media on Thursday that inspection of the new market area post-Friday’s fire incident has thrown up a host of issues, including the fact that trade is being conducted by the establishments without the mandatory fire NOC and trade licence. She said that some of the traders have blocked the municipal gutters which will come in the way of the smooth operation of the fire hydrant system in the new market.
“I would like to appeal to the traders in the new market through the media that they should all take the fire NOC, besides the Municipal trade licence to carry out the trade. The Municipality would like to give the traders one month’s time to comply with the mandatory provisions, before cracking a whip,” she warned.
Chief Officer Siddivinayak Naik said that the fire hydrant system in the new market has been fully encroached upon by unscrupulous traders by encroaching on the drains. “The Municipality had cleared the municipal drains of the encroachments on Saturday last. We would like to tell the traders to voluntarily clear the encroachments on the municipal drains or face action,” Naik added.
To a question why there’s been an inordinate delay in putting the dedicated overhead water tank in place in the Gandhi market for fire fighting operations, the Chief Officer said the water tank plan was abandoned after it became clear that fire tenders will not be able to move into the Gandhi market in times of emergencies.
To tide over the problem of adequate water pressure in the fire hydrants, he said the Council meeting scheduled on November 26 will adopt a resolution asking the government to lay a dedicated water pipeline in the new market area to boost the water pressure in the fire hydrants.
To another question, the MMC chairperson said the Council will bring a new bye-law at its forthcoming meeting on November 26, empowering the Chief Officer to auction the goods confiscated by the civic body during anti-encroachment drives. “It has become necessary to come out with this new bye-law since the anti-encroachment drive has no deterrent value when the confiscated goods are returned back to the same owner after levying of fines,” she added.
Questions raised over MMC’s urgent media briefing on new market
MARGAO: Did the Margao Municipal Chairperson Babita Prabhudesai and Chief Officer Siddivinayak Naik rush with the urgent media briefing on the new market after RTI furnished by the civic body to a city-based NGO revealed that while the municipality had leased out a total of 561 shops in the new and Gandhi market, only 15 traders were in possession of the trade licence.
Convenor of Shadow Council of Margao, Savio Coutinho said that the urgent media briefing by the MMC chairperson is an indication that she wanted to preempt the NGO from exposing civic body over its failure to recover trade licence from the 561 traders in the two municipal markets. “Chairperson Babita has been in office for the last three years. She should answer to Madgavkars why the Municipality did not insist on the trade licence from the 561 municipal lease holders since the last three years. By not levying the trade licence on these establishments means they were also not paying the garbage fees,” Coutinho pointed out.
