the goan I network
MARGAO
The wholesale fish market witnessed an uproar early Tuesday morning after retail fish vendors descended in the market to protest against the illegal retail sale of fish.
The retail fish vendors from the PDA market, who received support from the wholesale fish market Association, demanded a stop to the wholesale fish market activity by 9 am as per the orders of the District Collector.
They further demanded that fish cutting activity should also be stopped in the market by 9 am.
As the retail fish vendors along with the president of the wholesale fish market association M Ibrahim went round the market, they came across large scale retail sale of fish in the market, in and around the fish platform, which plays host to imported fish. They confiscated plastic carry bags from the wholesalers and also warned them not to sell less than 5 kg of fish to any customer, warning action.
Retail fish vendor Fatima Cardozo later told the media that the retail vendors at the PDA retail market are struggling to eke a living for want of business as the wholesale fish market has virtually become a retail fish market.
“The government has spent crores of rupees to renovate the PDA retail market on the lines of Dubai, but the vendors do not get any business,” Fatima said, while demanding an immediate crack down on retail activity in the wholesale fish market.
Wholesale Association president M Ibrahim promised that the wholesalers are ready to wind up their business by 9 am, while issuing a warning to the fish cutters as well to stop activity by 9 am.
Making common cause with the retail fish vendors from the PDA market, Ibrahim said the retail fish vendors will all come to the wholesale fish market if the authorities fail to stop the unauthorized sale of retail fish in the market.
Questions are being raised why the authorities have turned a blind eye to the over 150 migrant vendors, who make a fast buck by selling fish retail in the wholesale fish market. Questions are being asked whether these migrant women, who are engaged by the wholesalers to carry fish, are involved in selling fish in retail on behalf of some unscrupulous wholesalers.
Sources in the know informed that the SGPDA, which has not intervened in the wholesale fish market in recent times for reasons best known to the authorities, is expected to make its presence felt in the wholesale fish market on Wednesday with police protection.
