Fish loaders and workers employed with wholesale fish merchants struck work in the wholesale fish market on Sunday morning, resulting in fish scarcity in the market.
While the wholesale fish market in and around the platform used by outstation trucks to unload fish wore a deserted look, fish that came from the local fishing vessels and traditional fishermen were sold like hot cakes on Sunday.
The fish loaders were protesting against the assault on one of their colleague allegedly by the sopo contractor and the failure of the Margao police to nab the four assailants. With the fish loaders on strike, wholesalers who transported fish to the wholesale market could not unload their consignment in the absence of the loaders.
While some of the outstation trucks left the market after finding that the loaders were on strike, others have parked their vehicles in the market itself for sale on Monday.
President of the Wholesale Fish Market Association, M Ibrahim, told 'The Goan' that the strike by the loaders affected the sale of fish imports from across the state borders. He said the 250-odd loaders and workers will resume duties on Monday after the Margao police station in-charge, PI C L Patil handed out an assurance to arrest the sopo contractor at the earliest.
