the goan I network
MARGAO
Blame it on the rain gods or simply pressure from the hawkers and local politicos alike, the Margao Municipal Council has decided to shift the Holy Spirit feast fair locally known as Purmetachem fair from the Municipal parking land at the Old market to the SGPDA ground.
While the MMC officials and workers were all geared up to mark the fair stalls on the MMC parking land at Old market, where work on the construction of a storm water nullah is presently underway, a group of hawkers are believed to have called on the TCP Minister Vijai Sardesai complaining that the Municipal parking land is absolutely not suited to host the fair given that the area has been turned wet and slippery by the pre-monsoon showers.
After giving a patient hearing to the hawkers, the TCP Minister told the hawkers to call on the Municipal officials and argue their case given that the heavy showers has made the parking ground slippery.
By noon, the MMC is believed to have done a turn around. Sources in the civic body informed that the officials opted for the SGPDA ground after plans to use a roller to level the parking land proved futile. With just four days to go for the feast and the pre-monsoon showers lashing the State since the last couple of days, the MMC is believed to have dashed off a letter to the SGPDA seeking permission to use the ground to erect stalls for the week-long feast.
Incidentally, unlike last year when the job of allotting the stalls was given to the sopo contractor, the MMC had taken over the responsibility to allot the feast stalls, with an aim to enrich the civic coffers, but in vain. With the MMC finally asking the SGPDA to allot land for the feast stalls, sources said the civic body will have no option than to pay to the PDA the rent for the use of its land to host the purmetachem fair.
