MARGAO
Congress-turned-BJP Margao MLA Digambar Kamat has now joined the bandwagon to demand removal of illegal vendors from the Aquem ring road side from the New Year.
Days after BJP city leader Sharmad Raiturcar along with New Market Traders Association President Vinod Shirodkar set December 26 as the deadline to clear all road side illegal vendors, the Margao MLA on Wednesday issued instructions to the Margao Municipal and police officials to crack a whip against all the illegal vendors doing business alongside the Aquem ring road.
What prompted the Margao MLA to order a whip against the illegal road side vendors is the fact that he came across illegal vendors mushrooming along the Ring Road, Aquem during an inspection of the stretch along with Margao Municipal Chairperson Damu Shirodkar, Sub-divisional Police officer, Margao DySP Santosh Desai ahead of the road beautification by the Goa State Infrastructure Development Corporation (GSIDC).
In fact, a visibly agitated Margao MLA told DySP Santosh Desai to ensure that the illegal vendors do not carry out the business from the New Year. Margao Municipal Sanitary inspectors Santu and others remained silent spectators as the MLA saw for himself how illegal roadside vending is going on unhindered right under the nose of the Municipal staff and authorities.
Later briefing the media, Kamat said he had called for the demarcation of the ring road to rid the road of the encroachments. “The demarcation will take place within the next eight days after which the authorities will come to know the nature of the encroachments along the ring road”, he said.
Saying that illegal vending has been mushrooming along the ring road on the Aquem Power house portion, the Margao MLA said the authorities have been told to crack a whip against the illegal activities from the New Year. “Action against the illegal vending will be initiated against the illegal activities from the New year. Haphazard parking by the trucks along the roads will also stop from the New Year”, he said.
