MARGAO
Asserting that vendors and shoppers can look forward to a turnaround in the SGPDA retail fish market complex soon, SGPDA Chairman MLA Krishna Salkar on Monday said the Planning Body has set in motion the process of the cleanliness drive by desilting the drains and replacement of damaged bins with new ones.
Saying that the PDA is now liability free in the retail market, he said the PDA has cleared the pending electricity and water dues amounting to lakhs of rupees after taking charge of the planning body.
The Chairman said the PDA has also laid stress on self-sustenance with the body earning revenue to the tune of Rs 18 lakh each by leasing the PDA grounds for the two feast fairs.
He also pointed out the market can be maintained clean with the support of the Margao Municipal Council and the cooperation of the vendors. Salkar promised to start a fresh initiative to replace the ageing lift to cater to the requirement of visitors to the PDA office as well as the general public.
Addressing the media after the completion of the PDA market drain cleaning exercise, Salkar said this is perhaps the first time since the inception of the SGPDA market that the drains have been de-silted. “This is just the beginning in the retail market. These drains were never de-silted in the last 20 years,” he said.
He added: “There’s a misconception in the minds of the people that the entire area belongs to the PDA. The commercial complex plays host to around 50 offices and around 100 shops. The waste thrown around the market is not generated by the PDA or the market. Unscrupulous people dump the waste, giving a bad look.”
Welcoming the decision of the fish vendors to pay Rs 50 per day for the upkeep of the market, Salkar said this would go a long way in providing the amenities to the market.
As a gesture, the PDA Chairman has provided around 10 dustbins in the retail market, each bin costing Rs 5,000 in the market.
The PDA Chairman has further promised to tender the sopo collection fees in the wholesale fish market, adding that the GSIDC has agreed to hand over the first phase of the wholesale fish market by August 15.
