MAPUSA
The Mapusa city-fathers were caught in a dicey situation as various vendor groups have started breathing down their neck to allow them to restart business in the municipal market.
For the moment, the Mapusa Municipal Council (MMC) has decided not to allow vendors to restart business in the market.
Fish vendors were first to demand the reopening of the fish market as they have been inconvenienced for close to two months after the Covid-induced curfew kept them out of work.
Vegetable, flower and fruit vendors followed suit, appealing with the civic authorities to allow them to restart with business.
According to the Mapusa Fish Vendors Association chief Shashikala Govekar, as per the new guidelines released by the government municipal markets have been allowed to open from 7 am to 3 pm.
“If the Panaji fish market can reopen, then why should we not be allowed to do business in Mapusa? For the last almost two months, we have been confined to our homes due to the curfew. How long can we remain without business? It’s a question of our livelihood,” Govekar said.
She said the fish vendors were ready to follow all the Covid guidelines fixed by the government.
There are around 400 vendors registered with the Mapusa Fish Vendors Association.
The few Goan vendors dealing with flowers also pleaded with the Mapusa Municipal Council to allow them to do business in the market.
They said the civic staff were harassing them and were lifting their stock if they did business in the market.
“We are just a few in number, who are indigenous flower sellers. The market inspectors swoop on us and lift our stock in the process damaging the flowers,” said Nilima Bicholkar, a flower vendor in Mapusa market.
The vegetable and fruit vendors also came up with a similar demand requesting the council to take a positive decision so that they can restart their business.
MMC Chairperson Shubhangi Vaigankar admitted that there was pressure on the council to allow the vendors to restart business but the civic body would like to take a cautious stand in the matter.
“We have received reports that with the partial opening of the market positive cases have started to rise. The general consensus within the council is that we should hold on for some time before allowing the vendors to restart with business,” Vaigankar said.
She said she was aware that it was a matter of livelihood for the vendors and she sympathised with them.
“But, the health of the citizens comes first and we have to see the larger picture in the current circumstances,” she said.
