MARGAO
The upkeep and maintenance of the SGPDA retail market at Old Market has come back to haunt the fish vendors and the customers alike over the state of affairs of the fish market which was renovated and spruced up just four years ago on the lines of the Dubai fish market.
Instances of customers skidding on the slippery floor of the market have come to light, with the fish vendors attributing the situation to the absence of market maintenance, including cleaning of the floors and clearance of the waste. Some of the fish vendors have also started sale of fish in the market passages instead of displaying the fish for sale on the platforms.
SGPDA Chairman, MLA Krishna Daji Salkar and Member Secretary Sheikh Ali were not available for comments despite repeated attempts to shed light on the condition of the PDA retail market.
Fish vendors led by president Felix Gonsalves and Fatima pointed out that the situation in the market has been going from bad to worse over the last few months for want of maintenance.
“We have seen senior citizens falling down on the slippery floor right before our eyes. Such is the condition of the market and we fear that customers may stop coming to the market one day to buy fish if the situation persists,” asserted leader of the fish vendors, Felix.
He added: “There is no maintenance at all in the market. We have been told to clear the electricity bill if the vendors want to enjoy power supply. We have received a bill amounting to Rs 1.61 lakh and left with no option, we had made part payment. We request the authorities to ensure the Power Department raise the monthly bill so that the vendors can contribute money towards the payment of bills.”
Felix pointed out that fish vendors at the PDA retail market had all enjoyed individual power connections before the market was renovated in 2019. “Though power points have been kept for release of individual connections, they have not been released till date. If the PDA cannot pay the bill, the vendors should be allowed to take individual connections,” he added.
Incidentally, Felix pointed out that the retail fish vendors did some business during the Foreign Minister’s conference at Benaulim recently after the authorities shut down the wholesale fish market by 6 am. “We have been asking the SGPDA to stop the retail fish trade in the wholesale fish market over the years since the activity adversely affects our retail business in the retail market. The PDA would do a great favour if the wholesale fish market is shut down every day by 7 am,” he said.
Fish vendor Fatima pointed out that the vendors have been contributing money to fix the broken and damaged tiles in the retail market. “We feel pity that customers, including senior citizens skid on the floor because of the slippery conditions,” she said, adding that even the toilets were found shut down for a week forcing women vendors to head to faraway places to answer nature’s call.
Both the SGPDA Chairman and the Member Secretary were not available for comment, but the duo had in the past pointed out that the PDA will take up the upkeep and maintenance work of the retail market only after the fish vendors agreed to pay the maintenance fees.
In fact, both Salkar and Ali had maintained that the PDA is ready to provide the best of amenities in the retail market, provided the fish vendors pay the prescribed fees towards the market upkeep and maintenance.
