LAND NEAR SAG SPORTS COMPLEX FATORDA FINALISED FOR TEMPORARY OPERATIONS
MARGAO
Come mid-October and Goa’s wholesale fish market, presently functioning from Madel, will be shifted near the SAG sports complex at Fatorda as part of the makeshift arrangement to facilitate the Goa State Infrastructure Development Corporation (GSIDC) to construct a modern wholesale fish market at the existing fish market.
The acquired land near the SAG complex, which was obtained for the development of a Hockey ground, was zeroed in for the temporary shifting of the wholesale fish market on Tuesday after SGPDA Chairman MLA Krishna Salkar along with the two MLAs - Vijai Sardesai and Digambar Kamat - along with PDA officials inspected the land on Tuesday before arriving at the decision.
The acquired land admeasuring around 12,000 square metres has been shortlisted for the temporary shifting of the wholesale fish market as the site found favour with the politicos and planners over the land near the KTC bus stand and the SGPDA pick-up stand land.
After the inspection, SGPDA Chairman told the media that the GSIDC will take up the work of developing the area immediately, saying that the wholesale fish market will start functioning from the SAG complex by mid-October.
“The shifting of the wholesale fish market is just a temporary measure since the GSIDC has asked the PDA to hand over the entire wholesale fish market land for development,” Salkar said.
He has exuded confidence that the GSIDC will complete the work of the modern wholesale fish market within the one-year deadline saying that the wholesale market operations will return to the Madel land within one year.
Digambar said the wholesale fish market will be temporarily shifted to the new site, which has been identified by the PDA. “The GSIDC will take the development of the land in question and illuminate the entire site,” he added.
Fatorda MLA and PDA Member Vijai Sardesai said the site near the SAG complex has been finalised for the makeshift wholesale fish market operation given the limited options available. “Since fish is the staple diet of Goans, we have taken the interest to find an alternate site for the makeshift wholesale market. The site in question was filled by the Margao Municipal Council during the tenure of former chairperson Lyndon Pereira with the Sonsodo inert during Covid,” he said.
The Fatorda MLA has requested the GSIDC to ensure that not only work on the modern market is expedited, but the agency put minimum infrastructure in place at the makeshift market site to ensure it does not cause inconveniences.
The SGPDA chairman said the PDA will spray chemicals at the site to keep the foul odour at bay, saying all necessary precautions will be taken at the site.
Work on phase-1 of modern market will be completed in less than a year: GSIDC
MARGAO:
The Goa Infrastructure Development Corporation (GSIDC) has said it will take less than a year for the agency to complete work on phase-I of the wholesale fish market at an estimated cost of Rs 13 crore.
GSIDC senior officer Sandeep Chodnekar told The Goan that the agency has started work on the 50 per cent of the wholesale fish market land allotted by the SGPDA for development.
“We have asked for the entire wholesale market land admeasuring 10,000 square metres to expedite the work so that the market can be handed over to the SGPDA within the time frame,” he said.
He added: “If the SGPDA hands over the entire wholesale fish market land to the agency, we can complete the market work within a year. In fact, we can take up the work on phase-II simultaneously.”
