MARGAO
The South Goa Planning and Development Authority (SGPDA) seemed to have contained the storm that hit the wholesale fish market last week after traditional fishermen descended at the market in large numbers to protest against Margao Municipal Council’s fiat to the vendors to stop fish sale at 10 am every day.
Thanks to the intervention by SGPDA Chairman and MLA Krishna Daji Salkar and PDA member and Margao MLA Digambar Kamat, the traditional fishermen heaved a sigh of relief after they assured them that they would not be removed from the place of wholesale business till the part commissioning of the wholesale fish market by December end.
The SGPDA and the Margao Municipal Council, however, have a clear task at hand “ how to maintain the wholesale fish market surroundings clean and hygienic, especially the thermocol waste menace along the wholesale fish market road.
For, the two authorities have seven days time to come back before the High Court on September 27 and file replies how they intend to go about maintaining the cleanliness along the wholesale fish market road.
At the last date of hearing, the Chief Officer of the Margao Municipal Council and the SGPDA had assured the Court that necessary steps will be taken and the position at the wholesale fish market site would be reported at the next date of hearing on September 27.
During the hearing, the legal counsel representing the GSPCB had submitted that necessary directions have been issued to the MMC and SGPDA. On the other hand, the lawyer representing the Margao Wholesale Fish Vendors Association had stated in the court that members of the Association will not throw thermocol or otherwise litter either in or around the SGPDA Wholesale Market at Margao.
While accepting the statement made by the lawyer, the Court had observed that members of the Association will have to abide by the same.
After the PDA Chairman Salkar and the Margao MLA Kamat called for permitting the traditional fishermen to sell their fish on wholesale basis at the wholesale fish market, the Planning body has to file a status report in the High Court and seek time till December end or till the commissioning of the phase-I of the wholesale fish market to permit the fish vendors do business on the platform outside the market complex.
Questions are being raised how the PDA and the MMC will go about handling the fruit and vegetable vendors, besides hawkers occupying the entire stretch of the wholesale fish market road.
For, after the traditional fishermen were allowed to conduct their business activities on the platform outside the wholesale fish market, fruit and vegetable vendors, besides migrant fish vendors have all resumed their activities along the wholesale fish market road.
While the PDA insists that their jurisdiction over the wholesale fish market ends inside the compound wall of the market, they have time and again pointed fingers at the Margao Municipal Council to crack a whip against the vendors doing business along the wholesale fish market road.
