PANAJI
The arrival of the monsoon has brought with it a bagful of woes both for the citizenry as well as the vendors at the Corporation of the City of Panaji market in the capital city.
Storm water flooding the basement of the market, used as a car park and the immense stench emanating from the composting unit located between the ground-plus-one market complex and the fish-market shed are the two most commonly voiced complaints.
The composting area also has maggots and residue seepage which eventually makes its way into the basement, several vendors told The Goan.
Another serious issue flagged by one vendor is the fire safety equipment at the market being non-functional.
"God forbid, if there is a serious accident and fire here, we will be doomed," said a vendor who did not want to be identified fearing retribution from the CCP authorities.
Officials at the CCP, meanwhile, feigned ignorance over these issues raised by the vendors at the market.
"The sanitation inspectors deputed at the market round-the-clock have not reported any of these issues," a senior CCP official said. He however asked to keep his identity anonymous and to seek an official explanation from either the Commissioner, Clen Madeira or the Mayor, Rohit Monserrate.
Both Monserrate and Madeira, however, were not reachable for comment despite multiple attempts to reach them over phone.
Meanwhile, on the administrative front too there are multiple issues that the CCP is yet to resolve related to the market.
For one, the nearly half-a-dozen meat vendors who were displaced when the CCP demolished the multi-storeyed old municipal market building are yet to be rehabilitated more than six months later despite a Supreme Court direction to do it within three months.
Also, another building in the market which the CCP sealed for demolition, citing a structural stability report of the Goa Engineering College remains untouched and there is no sign of any activity to demolish it.
Tenants who protested against the action have now moved the courts accusing the civic body of not giving them fair notice and robbing them and nearly 40 employees of the nearly one dozen businesses including a popular pharmacy, of their livelihoods.
