MARGAO: In an apparent bid to keep vendors at the SGPDA retail fish market in good humour, TCP Minister Vijai Sardesai went on a fish buying spree on Tuesday, in the bargain coughing up around Rs 10,000 on pomfrets, king fish, besides prawns.
He, however, had no answer when the Niz Goemkar can expect to benefit from the promised subsidised fish as fish has gone beyond the reach of the common man. Subsidised fish along with pao was promised by the coalition-led coalition government when it was formed around six months ago. The ground reality, however, is different.
When the media questioned the TCP Minister to shed light on the availability of subsidised fish as promised by the coalition government, Vijai merely said subsidised fish will come in due course of time. "We will put a mechanism in place before coming out with fish subsidies. Cold chain is the need of the hour for the implementation of the fish subsidy. Solar supported cold chains are being looked as an option. I am trying to give it a look," Vijai said.
At the wholesale fish market, a common refrain one could get from the shoppers was that the common man get fish much cheaper than that available in the retail markets in Margao and elsewhere. "The common man prefer to wade through the muck and stench in the wholesale fish market to look out for fish cheaper than in the retail markets. We know that retail sale of fish in the wholesale fish market is illegal, but a total stop of fish sale in the wholesale fish market will only push the common man to the retail markets. This will only make matters worse in the absence of any price monitoring and mechanism and subsidies on fish," remarked a frequent shopper.
Action initiated against retail sale in wholesale market,
not against any community: TCP Minister
MARGAO: As the Fisheries Minister Vinoda Paliencar received a call from the national federation of Laamani community over the action against fish vendors at Margao wholesale fish market, TCP Minister Vijai Sardesai has said that action initiated in the wholesale fish market is not against Laamanis or any particular community, but against the retail sale of fish in the wholesale fish market.
"The Laamani community has kicked up a row saying that I have launched a tirade against them in the wholesale fish market. They have conveyed their sentiments to the Fisheries Minister Vinoda Paliencar. This is a misconception. This is not racism nor a tirade against any particular community, but the action against retail sale of fish in the wholesale fish market is contemplated since it was the long pending demand of the retail fish vendors," he said.
"The action is not directed against any one community. I am not a racist though I am a promoter of Goemkarponn. I am only trying to stop retail sale of fish in the wholesale fish market. There's no need for any community to raise a hue and cry," he said.
