MAPUSA
The whole area reeks of rotten waste and putrid matter, as fish and vegetable leftover is dumped near the beef and pork stalls.
A foul smell emanates from the whole area, discouraging people from visiting the meat stalls or even moving further into the market.
Besides the garbage and the stink, people have to also encounter construction material dumped on the way, as work on some of the stalls is still not complete.
And adding to the public’s misery, the rains have made the whole area mucky and slippery. Shoppers and the few people who dare to visit the beef stalls cross through the slush, tiptoeing skillfully around the mucky and uneven area. “The stink in the area is unbearable. This is the first time I have stepped here since the earlier structure was demolished. It’s such a messy place that I don’t think I will come back here anytime soon,” said Annie Afonso from Saligao.
A Mapusa resident, Peter D’Sa seconded her and refused to visit the beef stalls because of the foul smell and the filthy condition around the stalls. “I don’t think I will be going to the stalls anytime soon. The whole place has a rotten smell. It’s really bad,” D’Sa said.
“Apart from being a hazard that can affect the health of the people visiting and operating in the area, the appalling condition could make the area vulnerable and disease-prone,” said another visitor to the spot.
With such insanitary conditions in sight, business sure takes a beating if not being all together knocked off the rails. The shoddy conditions prevailing in the area leave such a poor impression on the consumers that many could be induced to putting off or cancel their plans and buying decisions.
“The customers have definitely reduced. And those who come here have been complaining about the foul smell,” said a beef stall owner on condition of anonymity.
The lack of coordination between different departments of the civic body is grossly manifested from the abysmal management of both clearing of market waste and construction of stalls within a time-frame. “The nuisance is created by the vendors in the market who dump all the waste at the entrance. We will try to find a way to resolve the problem,” said Rohan Kavlekar, Chairperson, Mapusa Municipal Council.
