VASCO
Vasco MLA Krishna Salkar on Wednesday said allvendors affected by the devastating fire at the Sunday Market in Vasco would beaccommodated in a newly planned market structure to be constructed on theavailable land within the Sunday Market premises.
He said the new arrangement would ensure thatno affected vendor was left out and that traders could resume their business bymid-December.
Salkar said the revised plan was finalisedafter consultations with traders and vendors, who were taken into confidencebefore the decision was made. The proposal was subsequently placed before ChiefMinister Dr Pramod Sawant, who approved it.
"When we realised that we might not getstructural safety clearance for the first floor of the market building affectedby the fire, we discussed the matter with Chief Minister Pramod Sawant andcoordinated with GSIDC to work out an alternative arrangement. We prepared aneffective plan to accommodate all vendors on the available land below andpresented it to the vendors. After they approved the proposal, we submitted itto the Chief Minister, who also gave his approval," Salkar said.
He said the government would now initiate thetendering process, with a short tender expected to be floated within the nexttwo days. Construction would begin immediately after the quotation wasapproved.
"We have ensured that all vendors will beaccommodated in the new market by mid-December. Since this is a governmentproject, the work has to be carried out through the tendering process. We willexpedite the process so that the vendors can return to business at theearliest," he said.
Explaining the decision to abandon the optionof using the fire-affected first floor, Salkar said the intensity of the blazehad raised serious concerns about the structural integrity of the building.
"The fire was so massive that there werechances that the concrete slab and the steel reinforcement inside could haveweakened. We did not want to take any chances, as that could put vendors andvisitors at risk and lead to another tragic situation in the future," hesaid.
The new arrangement is expected to provide asafer alternative for the affected traders while ensuring their rehabilitationwithin the Sunday Market premises.
