MARGAO
Street vendors made merry at the comunidade square on Sunday near the Margao municipal building, with neither the police nor the Margao Municipal workers around to crack a whip against the illegal activity.
If sources are to be believed, the Margao police personnel drove away the migrant street vendors from the comunidade square by using force. By evening, the street vendors were back at the square, showcasing their goods for sale.
Interestingly, the Men-in-uniform and the Margao municipal workers were conspicuous by their absence on Sunday evening, giving the vendors the virtual license to conduct business on the pavement and footpath.
What’s interesting to note is that the Margao Municipal Council seemed undecided about how to go about handling the street vendors. For, mid-last year, the council had cracked a whip against the street vending at the comunidade square. The activity has now returned at the square for reasons best known to the City Fathers and the Civic Babus and the Powers that be.
The silence on the part of the MMC and the Margao police assumes significance and comes against the backdrop of complaints lodged by the new market traders, complaining that the illegal street vending has hit their business in a big way.
