SGPDA’s promises on market revival remain unfulfilled

MARGAO

As he grapples with the devastation caused by the Vasco market fire in his hometown, Vasco, South Goa Planning and Development Authority (SGPDA) Chairman and MLA Krishna Salkar is facing another pressing challenge in the Commercial capital: Will the SGPDA finally commission the redeveloped wholesale fish market and also address the issues plaguing its retail markets before the election code of conduct comes into force, barely two months from now?

It has been more than three months since Salkar promised to commission the redeveloped wholesale fish market by August 1, but the deadline has come and gone without any progress on the ground. The PDA retail market, meanwhile, continues to remain in a sorry state, plagued by poor upkeep and lack of maintenance.

The continued delay has once again raised questions about whether Salkar, who has been at the helm of the authority for the past four-and-a-half years, will finally deliver on his promises and resolve these long-pending issues before the upcoming elections. Or will the problems confronting the two PDA markets — the wholesale fish market and the retail market — once again be pushed to the back burner, leaving the task of addressing them to the next body after the 2027 Assembly elections?

A visit to the redeveloped wholesale fish market on Sunday reveals that little has changed. The platforms constructed for fish trading remain unoccupied, with wholesalers continuing to conduct business in the open space rather than shifting to the designated platforms.

It remains unclear whether the traders are reluctant to use the platforms because the Goa State Infrastructure Development Corporation (GSIDC) is yet to execute the additional works, including the anti-skid flooring, or whether they have simply grown accustomed to conducting business in the open.

The recent tarring of the market’s open space by Public Works Department Minister Digambar Kamat has helped address the persistent stink that had plagued the premises. However, the larger question remains: when will fish trading finally shift to the platforms in the redeveloped market complex?

Notably, Salkar has announced several deadlines for commissioning the wholesale fish market during his tenure as SGPDA Chairman, but none has translated into the facility becoming operational.

What makes the continued delay all the more intriguing is that GSIDC completed the redevelopment project and handed it over to the PDA more than a year-and-a-half ago, with the project funded through central assistance.

With the project completed and handed over, yet still awaiting commissioning, questions are mounting over why the SGPDA has failed to operationalise the facility and what exactly is holding up the process. Equally, questions arise over why senior political representatives associated with the SGPDA, including PWD Minister Digambar Kamat, Fatorda MLA Vijai Sardesai and Curtorim MLA Reginaldo Lourenco, have not mounted pressure to ensure the market is commissioned without further delay.

Retail fish trade thrives at wholesale market despite SGPDA’s restrictions

Illegal retail fish trade being conducted inside the yet-to-be-commissioned wholesale fish market building.

MARGAO: The issue of market commissioning apart, the SGPDA is yet to decide how it proposes to tackle the illegal retail sale of fish at the wholesale fish market in Madel.

Even as fish vendors operating from the PDA retail fish market cry foul over the growing retail trade at the wholesale market, dozens of retail fish vendors were seen selling fish on Sunday, both inside the redeveloped premises and outside the wholesale fish market. This raises a pertinent question: how does the SGPDA propose to crack down on the illegal retail trade operating right under its nose?

The issue has been staring the SGPDA in the face for years, ever since the wholesale fish market was shifted to Madel. The authority has maintained that, barring a handful of traditional fishermen who were permitted to sell fish at the wholesale market during the Parrikar regime, no one else would be allowed to engage in retail fish vending on the premises.

However, this position appears to have remained confined to official records. Despite its stated stand, the SGPDA has done little to curb retail fish trade at the wholesale market. In fact, the authority continues to collect sopo fees from vendors engaged in the allegedly illegal retail trade, even as the practice continues unabated.

The issue is likely to resurface once the redeveloped fish market is commissioned. The SGPDA will then have to make its position clear: will it allot space to the migrant retail fish vendors currently operating at the wholesale market, or will the redeveloped facility finally be rid of retail fish vending and function strictly as a wholesale market?

Yet-to-open fish market turns haven for stray dogs

Stray dogs have made the wholesale fish market their second home.

MARGAO: The redeveloped wholesale fish market is yet to be commissioned by the SGPDA, but stray dogs have already made it their second home.

The next time you visit the wholesale fish market to buy fish, do not be surprised if you find stray dogs roaming freely across the complex, including its platforms, ramps and internal passages.

With the planning body showing little urgency in commissioning the redeveloped market, the premises have effectively become a haven for stray dogs.

It is also unclear whether Margao Municipal Council workers have visited the wholesale fish market and included the stray dogs found on the premises in the census being conducted in compliance with the High Court’s directions to count stray dogs in the city.