The other day I was waiting for a cobbler near the Goa Sahakar Bhandar, Panaji market. A mini jeep slowly cruised and halted and out jumped four persons. They headed straight to the ladies selling fruits and vegetables. Two of the ladies quickly lifted their baskets off the ground while the third lady who was talking to a friend did not notice the municipal workers coming. The workers seized her two baskets of pineapples and papayas. She stood there stunned with tears in her eyes. Her only source of livelihood was gone in a jiffy. It was a pitiable sight. The point is that those ladies and many like them carry out an honest living by sitting under the hot sun and torrential rains but are taken to task by the municipalities. Why are the authorities reluctant to collect rentals and taxes that run into cores of rupees from most of the vendors who are legally and illegally occupying spaces and shops in the market? Some of the shops have changed hands so many times that no one knows who is the original owner. It is not uncommon to see two-three businesses being run from a single shop. The corridors and passages that are meant for walking are filled with goods and materials displayed by the vendors. Yet, there is no action by the municipality on any of these vexing problems. There is no point in punishing only the small-time vendors who squat on the footpath. This deed by the municipality is like killing ants with a sledgehammer. We would soon have 30 city fathers and mothers and a mayor. Let us see if they have the mettle to take on the vendors and also those persons who protect these vendors.
