MARGAO: The South Goa District Disaster Management Authority (DMA) has scheduled a meeting on January 2 to assess fire deficiencies and propose safety measures in connection with the fire that had engulfed several shops at New Market, Margao, on Tuesday.
Stakeholders, including officials from Margao Municipal Council (MMC), Fire Services, PWD, and Electricity, are likely to attend the meeting, which will be chaired by the South Goa District Collector Asvin Chandru, who is in charge of the DMA.
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The blaze that caused damages at MMC’s New Market earlier this week marked the umpteenth time such an incident has occurred in the market in the last couple of years. Concerns about the safety of the 470 shops are mounting among shopkeepers due to the inoperative fire hydrants. The shop owners urgently call for the repair of these hydrants and the introduction of tanker facilities. They also pointed that the market lacked proper parking facilities and mentioned the risks associated with parking on both sides of the street.
Vinod Shirodkar, President of the Margao New Market Traders Association, urged the municipal officials to inspect the parking situation and has called for pay parking to be introduced to address the prevailing chaos that is seen at the market on a daily basis. He also raised concerns about unauthorised buildings replacing designated parking spaces.
It may be recalled that on the day of the fire, the Fire Brigade had trouble reaching the market on time due to traffic congestion and narrow passageways on the roads, and they had to bring in six fire tenders to douse the fire. If the fire hydrants were working and the much-needed overhead water tank had been constructed by now, the Fire Department could have responded far quicker. Shirodkar also referred to the report in O Heraldo just weeks prior to this incident and lamented that for years they have been crying hoarse about these issues, but there has not been any change on the ground as yet.
Shop owner Devidas Borkar emphasised the additional hazard of wires leading to short circuits. He expressed worry about the failure of underground wiring, hindering the access of emergency vehicles to the market. Gopal Naik, frustrated with the lack of results from meetings with authorities after each fire incident, suggested a collaborative effort among officials to find solutions. Rajesh Ajgaonkar urged the PWD and higher authorities to address the situation, suggesting the setup of parking spaces near the old fish market to alleviate traffic problems.
