Nearly 1,000 shopkeepers plan protest march over delay in resolving rent arrears
Mapusa merchants address the media ahead of their shutdown and protest march to the Mapusa Municipal Council, voicing concerns over the long-pending rent arrears issue.
MAPUSA
Despite the BJP’s “triple-engine” government at the Centre, State and the Mapusa Municipal Council (MMC), the long-pending rent arrears issue of the Mapusa market traders continues to fester, pushing the aggrieved business community to the brink of agitation.
In a strong show of defiance, nearly 1,000 shopkeepers operating from the Mapusa municipal market have announced a complete shutdown on Wednesday (April 8), followed by a protest march to the civic body, demanding immediate resolution of the nearly two-year-old imbroglio.
What stands out, however, is the traders’ reluctance to directly blame the BJP-led government. Instead, the ire of the largely pro-BJP trading community is squarely directed at the bureaucracy, which they accuse of stalling a solution.
Addressing the media, All Goa Merchants Federation president Baba Karekar said the trading community, despite its consistent contribution to the State’s economy, has been left grappling with unresolved issues for far too long.
“The government has always lent a helping hand, but the bureaucracy is playing a fool,” Karekar said, signalling deep frustration with officials.
The core of the dispute lies in the contentious rent hike and mounting arrears.
Former MMC chairperson and senior BJP karyakarta Sandip Falari termed the proposed 10 per cent annual rent hike as “unrealistic and unjustified,” particularly for small traders struggling to sustain their livelihoods.
He pointed out that the municipal council had earlier resolved to limit the increase to 5 per cent, yet the chief officer continues to enforce what traders describe as “impractical demands.”
“We are not against the government, but lower-level officers are creating obstacles in resolving the issue,” Falari asserted.
Echoing similar sentiments, former MMC chairperson Ashish Shirodkar slammed the prolonged delay and the lack of clarity, warning that the trading community has reached a tipping point.
“We are not scared. If the Mapusa MLA is with us, he should stand with us and resolve our problem,” Shirodkar said, adding that traders are determined to take the agitation to its logical conclusion.
In a parallel move, the Mapusa Merchants Association (MMA) has formally written to the local MLA, urging him to intervene and facilitate a resolution.
MMA President Jeetendra Falari has called on the MLA to address the traders in the presence of municipal officials during Wednesday’s gathering at the Mapusa Municipal Council premises.
With shutters set to come down and tempers running high, the protest is poised to test not just administrative responsiveness but also the political alignment between the ruling establishment and one of its key support bases.
However, sources within the merchants’ community indicated that the shutdown may not last the entire day. If their demands are addressed and a satisfactory resolution is reached, traders could consider reopening their establishments in the latter half of the day.
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Fish, vegetable markets to remain open
MAPUSA: While the main shopkeepers will down their shutters from 11 am on Wednesday to stage a protest march to the Mapusa Municipal Council, the agitation is unlikely to disrupt activity in the fish and vegetable markets or among street vendors.
Both the fish and vegetable sections are set to function as usual through the day, with members of these communities distancing themselves from the protest.
“The fish market will remain open. No one has approached us to join any protest. For us, it will be business as usual,” said Shashikala Govekar, a representative of the fishing community in Mapusa.
Similarly, vegetable vendors and hawkers have decided to continue operations, even as shopkeepers in the municipal market participate in the shutdown.
