System for truck movement at market not followed
MARGAO
As the South Goa Planning and Development Authority (SGPDA) and the Margao Municipal Council has finally agreed to coordinate action in and around the wholesale fish market to rid the area of litter and thermocol waste, another major issue, neglected and ignored over the years has come back to haunt authorities – parking of fish trucks along the wholesale fish market road.
Half-hearted action initiated by the men-in-uniform and failure by the district authorities to clamp down on the parking of fish vehicles along the wholesale fish market road has come under the High Court lens.
Consider this. When the wholesale fish market waste imbroglio came up while hearing the suo moto Writ Petition No. 02 of 2007 before the High Court, the counsel for the Margao Municipality S Karpe pointed out that the wholesale fish vendors are parking their vehicles on both sides of the road which creates hurdles for clearing the area.
The High Court message, however, is clear to all and sundry – the vehicles should not be parked after the wholesale market business is over and the same shall be removed as early as possible. That the High Court has observed that all the stakeholders should find out some mechanism to the problem indicates that the Court has given time to all concerned to ensure that vehicles are no more parked on both sides of the wholesale fish market road after business hours.
Dozens of fish transporting vehicles are found parked on both sides of the wholesale fish market, right up to the culvert at the river Sal. In the past, the Fatorda police in coordination with the Margao traffic police had launched a drive against the parking of fish transporting trucks along the wholesale fish market on the ground the owners are mandated to park their vehicles either at their offices or place of residence.
The drive, however, came a cropper for want of support from the district authorities, sources informed. This became evident when the district authorities did not step in to stop the parking of fish transporting trucks on the wholesale fish market despite the fact that the western bypass was completed and part commissioned till the wholesale fish market road, paving the way for the plying of heavy vehicles on the road.
That’s not all. The district authorities again did not move in to stop the parking of fish transporting trucks on the wholesale fish market when the district Magistrate, South had issued a notification a couple of months ago diverting heavy trucks on the wholesale fish market road when the PWD had taken up the work of laying sewerage line along the district hospital road.
Fish traders, on the other hand, had insisted in the past that the SGPDA allow the trucks to park inside the wholesale fish market, a request which was outright rejected by the planning body.
As per the mechanism put in place by the SGPDA, the fish transporting trucks are required to move out of the wholesale fish market after business hours. Even otherwise, the fish vehicles have to move out of the market since the vehicles are being charged sopo fees on hourly basis.
An official told The Goan that the High Court’s direction is clear that the vehicles should not be parked after the wholesale fish market business. “Since the High Court has called for involving the stakeholders to work out a mechanism to the problem, a meeting of the stakeholders will be convened soon before the next date of hearing scheduled on October 9,” the official said.
The official added: “Let us wait and see whether the fish traders will come out with any solution to the issue of parking on the wholesale fish market road.”
