Team Herald
MARGAO: Traders in Margao Municipal Market are flouting rules and extending their shops without permission from the civic body. On Wednesday, a few traders were caught in the act, prompting councillors and members of the Market Committee to demand an immediate inquiry into the matter.
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The issue of non-renewal of lease deeds for nearly 500 shops owned by the civic body has been unresolved for the last three decades, and several traders are still paying a paltry rent of Rs. 10 towards the shop to the council. While the civic body has initiated the exercise of reassessing all the shops to resolve the issue, illegal activities continue to persist.
Mahesh Amonkar, councillor and member of the market committee, demanded that the concerned committee be dissolved as it holds no control in stopping the illegal activities in the municipal market. He found illegal works being carried out by shop vendors without the knowledge or permission of the civic body.
Amonkar has demanded an inquiry into the matter and urged the market committee chairman to resign from the post. He also called for an investigation into the market inspector and supervisor responsible for overseeing the market, claiming that the trader who was caught illegally extending their shop was not a Goan.
The failure of the civic body to address this issue has prompted outrage among councillors and committee members who feel that the council is unable to stop the illegalities pertaining to the shops. This latest incident has only served to highlight the ineptitude of the authorities in dealing with this matter.
