THE GOAN NETWORK
VASCO
The swanky new Cortalim market complex was inaugurated January and yet, vendors continue to operate from a dilapidated structure with no facilities.
This is because, the new market complex is yet to be handed over to the Cortalim Panchayat even though it has been completed and ready for public use.
The angry vendors have now demanded that they be shifted to the new market complex before the monsoons.
“The fishermen and vendors selling meat and vegetables are restricted to a small piece of land and are forced to sell their produce in pathetic conditions. The present structure is dilapidated and the monsoon season will make business even worse with leaking roofs and frequent power cuts,” complained a vendor.
“The number of people visiting the present fish and meat market rises sharply on Sundays or during local feasts and this causes a huge traffic jam on the narrow road connecting the locality to the market,” the vendor added.
Added a fish vendor, Inacio Fernandes: “There are heaps of garbage lying everywhere around these premises. The place has now been infested with mosquitoes.”
Market complex not handed over to Cortalim p’yat: Dy Sarpanch
VASCO: Cortalim Dy Sarpanch Raymond D’Sa confirmed that the new Cortalim market complex is complete but added that it has not been handed over to panchayat
as yet. “We requested the government to look into the matter and clear any pending files, so that the market complex can be made functional immediately. Initially, GSIDC had assured to hand over the project within a few days to the Cortalim Panchayat.” “Since the new market complex is built and not handed over as assured, we went to GSIDC to follow up in the matter. We realised that the complex was handed over to the Director of Panchayats, but surprisingly the GSIDC has moved an application to the Cortalim Panchayat to renew the construction licence.” “It was the GSIDC’s duty to check if the construction licence is valid. Now at the last moment during occupancy and when the construction licence has expired two years ago, the GSIDC has requested us to renew the licence,” said D’Sa. Stating that the proposal was put before the panchayat meeting, D’Sa said the general body had decided that the file be sent to TCP and only after the TCP renews the licences, the Panchayat would renew the licence.
