MARGAO
Wholesale fish market sopo contractor Milagres Fernandes on Thursday has warned that fish traders not paying the sopo fees from December 1 will not be allowed to take their vehicles out of the market.
He also announced plans to contest the 2022 Assembly election from Fatorda constituency as an Independent candidate.
Two days after Wholesale Fish Market Association president M Ibrahim warned that the fish traders will not pay sopo from December 1 if the market is not maintained properly and illuminated by November 30, the sopo contractor said no fish vehicle will be allowed to leave the wholesale fish market without paying the sopo fees.
Addressing the media, Milagres pointed out that the entire wholesale fish market has been cleaned up in the last two days, saying the fish water discharged in the market has been cleared by his workers.
He blamed the fish traders from Maharashtra and Karnataka for discharging the fish waste water in the wholesale fish market, causing nuisance in the market area.
On the question of illumination, he contended that letters were submitted to the Power Department to repair the lights in the wholesale fish market damaged by the fish transporting vehicles.
“I do not indulge in any illegalities in the market as claimed by Ibrahim. People of Goa know me and Ibrahim. If Ibrahim is talking the language of taking the law in his hands in the wholesale fish market, I want to convey to him that I along with my Goan brothers are ready to face any challenge from him,” he asserted.
Milagres demanded that since the Western bypass road has been completed up to the wholesale fish market road, the authorities should now ban parking of fish trucks on the wholesale fish market road. “Let the fish traders park their vehicles at their place of residence or near their offices,” he added.
He further demanded that the authorities check the fish that is coming into the State via the trains and which is unloaded at the Margao railway station. “Fish is being brought in thermocol boxes by trains. The authorities should check the fish brought into the State by trains,” he demanded.
