MARGAO
Asserting that the Cuncolim commercial building project was planned and executed for the purpose of rehabilitation of the traders, the Cuncolim Traders Association on Friday insisted that the Cuncolim Municipal Council rehabilitate all the 21 traders in the commercial complex before auctioning the shops.
The traders further said traders are willing to pay the prescribed fees for the shops, refuting claims made by the Cuncolim civic body that the traders are asking for the shops free of cost.
Addressing the media, Association general secretary Irineu Coutinho said correspondence of the Cuncolim Municipal Council clearly shows that the commercial complex was built by the civic body for the sole purpose of rehabilitating the 21 traders, who will be displaced from their business once the PWD widens the National Highway road and the major district road.
In fact, Irineu said the Cuncolim Municipal Council had given a clear undertaking that the CMC undertakes to rehabilitate the shop keepers who are running their business in the old structures situated besides NH-17 as and when the new rehabilitation building complex is ready for occupation. The CMC had given the undertaking in the interest of general public on the plea it was necessary to create more open space in the Cuncolim bazar by removing the old structures (shops), he added.
He also termed as baseless the allegations that the movement of the traders is politically motivated, saying the traders had invited all the 14 councillors for the public meeting at Cuncolim. “At that meeting, Dr Jorson Fernandes and Elvis Gomes had attended the meeting as Cuncolkars and not as representatives of any political party,” he added.
Refuting claims made by CMC Chairperson Laximan Naik that the traders are demanding rehabilitation free of cost, Association coordinator Yatin Talaulikar said the traders are willing to pay the prescribed fees. “We are only asking for the shops on the ground floor, leaving the CMC to auction the remaining shops,” he said.
