MARGAO
Promising to crack a whip against suppliers for not maintaining the quality of vegetables sold in the horticulture outlets, Chairman of Goa Horticulture Corporation Ltd Premendra Shet on Sunday favoured a ban on illegal vendors selling vegetables on roadsides and in the markets.
The Horticulture Chairman promised to supply quality vegetables, and at good rates compared to the quality and rates adopted by cooperative societies.
Flooded with a host of complaints from horticulture outlet vendors during an interaction at the Ravindra Bhavan, Margao on Sunday, Premendra Shet promised to raise the issue of illegal vegetable vendors eating into the business of the horticulture vendors in the ensuing session of the Goa Legislative Assembly. He also appealed to the vendors to take up the issue with the local panch and councillors to put an end to the presence of illegal vegetable vendors on Goan roads and markets.
Taking cognizance of the host of complaints of the poor quality of vegetables supplied to the outlets by the corporation, Shet pointed out that the Corporation has terminated around 7-8 suppliers to date, adding that he would not hesitate to initiate action against the remaining suppliers if the situation warrants.
Earlier, horticulture vendors aired their grievances before the new Chairman, complaining of the poor and substandard quality of vegetables supplied by the corporation. Some of the vendors made a point reference to vegetables such as potatoes, tomatoes and onions which are of substandard quality and which rot within a day or two.
A vendor sought to know why tomatoes supplied by cooperative societies are of better quality than those supplied by the corporation.
“Sometimes, the tomatoes supplied by the corporation get spoilt overnight, indicating the poor quality of the product,” the vendor said.
Another vendor demanded that the corporation should also come out with competitive rates to attract the customers, saying the cooperative societies are offering much better rates compared to the rates fixed by the corporation.
