MARGAO
Between December 7-30 last, in a space of 24 days, the South Goa Planning and Development Authority (SGPDA) had convened meetings as many as five times with the sole agenda of giving the PDA’s stamp of approval for the controversial Margao ODP.
Welcome to the SGPDA stinking wholesale fish market, where the PDA has been found wanting in moving with the same haste and urgency to spruce up Goa’s lone wholesale fish market.
Otherwise, consider this. The SGPDA had initially planned to crack a whip at the illegal retail sale of fish in the wholesale market on October 1, but the PDA action came a cropper with Godinho citing the intervening two-day BRICS summit at Salcete’s coastal belt as the reason behind the postponement.
The PDA had in the past offered the excuse that action against retail fish sale in the wholesale fish market cannot be enforced for want of a retaining wall and gates. The retaining wall and the gates have been in place for over two months now, but the retail fish sale continues unabated in the market.
When The Goan called up Godinho, he sought to blame opposition MLAs, especially Fatorda MLA Vijai Sardesai for the present situation.
“We had planned to inaugurated the PDA works at wholesale fish market after tarring the damaged surface, but Sardesai assured to intervene as local MLA and get tarring work executed in the wholesale market,” Mauvin said.
He continued: “The two MLAs, Vijai and Digambar Kamat had tried their best to sabotage my works in the PDA markets. May be they thought that credit would come to me for getting rid of the stink and stench from the market.”
With the election code of conduct expected to come into force anytime soon, Mauvin has now promised to usher in a turn around in the wholesale fish market after the Assembly election.
The Fatorda MLA, however, has begged to differ: “Mauvin cannot blame me for the delay in getting the wholesale market tarred. It was a major project since it also involved soling of the surface as the entire ground was badly damaged. I have got the government sanction for the tarring work only today,” he informed, adding that Mauvin should shoulder the responsibility for his failure to spruce up the wholesale fish market.
While the politicos were busy engaged in the blame game yet again, the PDA lost yet another opportunity to restore and bring about a semblance of order in the wholesale fish market as well as the retail market in the PDA’s mega market craving for attention since their commissioning over a decade ago.
