MAPUSA
Mapusa’s iconic municipal market is battling a daily mess of indiscriminate two-wheeler parking, vendors spilling onto roads and pedestrian spaces, and inconsistent enforcement – leaving shoppers, traders and suppliers struggling to move through the crowded market.
Two-wheelers routinely parked in the middle of internal market roads, in front of shops and along pedestrian movement areas have turned several stretches of the market into virtual bottlenecks.
The situation is particularly difficult for senior citizens, shoppers and suppliers who have to squeeze through narrow spaces to move around.
The issue has now prompted market trader Abhijit Ashok Shinde to approach the Mapusa Traffic Cell, seeking urgent action against what he described as “unruly, disorderly and completely undisciplined” parking inside the market.
Shinde said two-wheelers parked indiscriminately not only obstruct the movement of pedestrians but also create difficulties for suppliers bringing goods into the market.
“Customers are avoiding entering the market because there is hardly any free walking space. This is directly affecting our daily business and livelihood,” Shinde said in his complaint.
The parking mess is only one part of the problem. Daily vendors are also allegedly extending their stalls beyond demarcated areas and occupying portions of roads and pedestrian spaces, further squeezing the market’s already limited circulation space.
For traders, the most frustrating aspect is that the problem is hardly new.
The Mapusa Merchants Association has repeatedly complained to the authorities about parking and encroachments. Each time, traders say, enforcement follows – only for the market to slide back into the same disorder after a few days or weeks.
“There is no consistency in maintaining discipline,” a trader said, pointing to the recurring nature of the problem.
The continuing congestion has also raised concerns over emergency access. Blocked internal roads and pedestrian spaces could prove particularly problematic during a fire or other emergency, when unhindered movement of fire tenders, ambulances and people become critical.
Shinde has urged the Traffic Cell to intervene and restore discipline in the market, including preventing indiscriminate parking and ensuring that roads and pedestrian spaces remain unobstructed.
When confronted over the recurring parking and congestion in the market, a civic official said the municipality had not received any complaint on the issue. The official, however, said the matter would be examined and taken up with the Traffic Police for necessary action.
For one of Goa’s best-known traditional markets, traders say the recurring mess is no longer a minor parking nuisance but a daily threat to smooth public movement and business.
