TEAM HERALD

teamherald@herald-goa.com

MARGAO: Unfazed by the hostile attitude of the Gandhi market vendors earlier this week, Margao Municipal vice-Chairperson Pratima  Coutinho on Friday urged MMC chief officer to issue strict directions to the civic officials to immediately clear all all encroachments and make the passages and footpaths available for free movement of visitors in the market specially in the Market.

'Times New Roman'; text-align: justify; font-size: medium; ">Coutinho, who is also the Chairperson of the Market Committee, put up a note to the Chief Officer seeking his urgent attention to the Gandhi market and drew his attention to the gherao she had to face in Gandhi market during the encroachment drive.

She also highlighted the need to repair the roof of the market building top priority to avoid any untoward incident and risk to public life. 

“The public toilets which were also earlier inspected by the undersigned along with the Chief Officer are still in the same state of malfunction and requires to be repaired and put to use on priority basis”, she added.

Incidentally, Pratima took up cudgels for the traditional Goan vendors,  saying they are facing hardships on account of illegal encroachments and harassments meted to them. 

“Necessary measures to be taken to protect these traditional vendors as their spaces are coercively taken over/occupied by migrant vendors. These vendors have also to be allotted proper spaces within the market”, she demanded.

She drew attention of the Chief Officer to several box like structures along the footpaths and passages and underlined the need to examine permission granted by the Civic body for repair of such boxes.