SALIGAO
The Penha-da-Franca panchayat may have issued notices to roadside kiosks which have sprung up near the Malim jetty in 2013, but the local body has not followed up on efforts to remove these unauthorised kiosks for over two years.
The PWD had made efforts in 2013 to widen the road near the Malim fishery jetty in a bid to decongest this area.
“This office has been frequently expressing the problem of traffic congestion near Malim jetty which creates hardships for smooth traffic flow. Due to insufficient width of road, traffic gets blocked, and residents as wells as pedestrians of this area face hardships,” stated Mapusa PWD assistant engineer, in a letter to the Penha-da-Franca panchayat on July 11, 2013.
“Therefore in order to eliminate this problem, this office intends to improve/widen this road, especially at Malim fishery jetty, to decongest this area. In this connection, you are requested to take immediate necessary action to remove the existing gaddas for widening the area,” the PWD letter stated.
Acting on the letter, the Penha-da-Franca panchayat issued a notice on August 19, 2013 to all kiosk owners near Malim fish jetty, directing them to remove all their kiosks within seven days from the date of the notice, failing which panchayat threatened to remove the gaddas.
However at a panchayat body meeting on September 26, 2013, the panchayat adopted a resolution to inspect the roadside kiosks before taking necessary legal action.
The panchayat fixed a site inspection on November 6, 2013 at 10.30 am and letters were sent to the kiosks owners to be present at the site along with their documents, such as NOCs and permissions issued by Panchayat, if any.
After conducting a site inspection, the panchayat issued a show-cause notice to all kiosk owners on November 23, 2013, directing them to show cause why their gaddas should not be removed.
The panchayat did not follow up in the matter, leaving the kiosks untouched by the roadside.
When contacted, Penha-da-Franca sarpanch Radhika Sawant said the matter was with the Block Development office in Mapusa.
“Since the panchayat did not receive any reply from the kiosk owners, the panchayat approached the Mapusa BDO for necessary legal action in the matter,” said Sawant.
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THE GOAN NETWORK
SALIGAO
Admitting that the roadside kiosks at Malim jetty have led to traffic problems, Porvorim MLA Rohan Khaunte has expressed surprise that the local panchayat has not followed up on its efforts to remove these unauthorised kiosks.
“The Penha-da-Franca panchayat had issued show-cause notices to kiosks owners. But it is still unknown why the panchayat has still not taken any action to remove these unauthorised kiosks,” said Khaunte.
“Unless these kiosks are removed by panchayat, the PWD will not be able to take up road-widening work, and consequently, people will continue to face hardships. Garbage is being dumped by the side of the Malim jetty, and as a result, the area has become unhygienic. Trucks carrying fish are lined up by the roadside and this has also reduced the width of the road, creating traffic bottlenecks,” Khaunte added.
