MAPUSA
President of All Goa Merchants Federation, Narayan Karekar on Friday said the move to regularise the transfer of municipal shops was a long-pending demand but admitted the municipal ordinance in the present form was against the traders and needs to be rectified.
He, however, preferred to remain silent on whether the issue of regularisation of municipal premises should have been discussed in the assembly.
“Many traders are eagerly waiting to transfer their shops and get it legalised. The government move to bring in the ordinance was good in spirit but some clauses in the ordinance have to be rectified,” Karekar said.
The All Goa Merchants Federation chief was addressing a news conference along with other members in Mapusa.
Continuing, Karekar said as per the ordinance those lessees who have completed 40 years can get to run the shop for only another 10 years which was very harsh on the lessee.
He said the annual increase in the rent as suggested was also very high for the traders.
“The two-year imprisonment for a merchant who works hard for a living is not acceptable to the community. The penalty amount may be hiked, but imprisonment is way too harsh,” said Karekar, who is inclined towards the BJP.
He also suggested that a married daughter should be included for transfer of shops among the blood relations.
“What happens if the shop owner has only one daughter? He should be allowed to transfer the shop to his only heir who is a daughter,” he said.
The All Goa Merchants Federation President said it would not be right to comment whether the matter should have been discussed in the assembly and then passed as a law.
“Whether to bring a bill and have a discussion in the assembly or not is the prerogative of the government,” he said.
Karekar also said the Mapusa Merchants’ Association President Ashish Shirodkar should have informed about the salient features of the ordinance to the merchants/ traders first and take their views, before calling for a one-day shutdown protest.
Mapusa merchants Yeshwant Gwandalkar and Abdul Azzis also spoke at the news conference.
