No fish in wholesale market on day 2 as stalemate between traders and sopo contractor continues

Even assuming that fish comes into the State and the wholesale fish market in limited quantities on Thursday and on Good Friday because of reduced demand for fish with people abstaining from the consumption of fish, sources say there’s no guarantee that fish from outside the State will hit the wholesale fish market from Saturday or on Easter Sunday.

Reason: There’s no change in the ground reality to suggest that the wholesale fish traders or the drivers manning the fish vehicles coming from outside the State have decided to import fish back in the wholesale fish market.

Whether or not fish will be available in the wholesale fish market or the retail markets across the State on Easter Sunday will depend whether wholesale fish traders or the drivers of vehicles agree to drive down to Goa with trucks-load of fish.

Incidentally, the district authorities had tried to resolve the imbroglio between the fish traders and the sopo contractor, but the meeting was primarily to resolve issues to avert any law and order situation. That the meeting has now been rescheduled on Monday noon indicates that the authorities will intervene in the dispute only after Easter Sunday.

Wholesale fish traders pointed out that neither the SGPDA nor the government authorities have tried to find out from them the reasons behind the decision by the drivers not to drive fish laden vehicles to Goa.

The wholesale fish traders had a meeting in the city here on Friday morning, but the stalemate continues. Information revealed that fish from outside the State is unlike to arrive in the wholesale fish market on Saturday as well.