MAPUSA: The Mapusa Flower Vendors’ Association has called upon the Mapusa Municipal Council (MMC) chairperson to initiate stern action against non-Goan wholesale vendors in the municipal market.
The association members and Mapusa People’s Union had a meeting with MMC Chairperson, Sandip Falari.
Voicing their grievances against their non-Goan counterparts, the retail vendors said there is a sense of insecurity, adding that around 60 of them would feel secure only after the MMC issues ID cards as soon as possible.
They further informed that around 60 vendors, who are registered under Vendors Protection Act, have already paid an amount of Rs 500 but even after a year, these cards are yet to be issued.
When the association president questioned the chairperson on the non-issuance of ID cards, Falari replied saying that the process was still on.
At the earlier meeting held last month, Falari had directed these vendors to meet the chief officer but even after writing to him about the issue, the CO has failed to respond to the same.
“The wholesale non-Goan vendors are affecting our retail business since many years. We are not earning enough money even to feed our children. This is the same business through which our parents had taken care of us and got us married,” said a retail vendor.
The retail vendors complained that besides Rs 500, which are already in the MMC treasury, additional Rs 40-50 is collected daily as sopo.
They further complained that despite complaining to the municipality against these wholesale non-Goan vendors, the civic body acted only for a few hours by confiscating their stock but the non-Goans were back to their usual business.
The Association has now requested the chairperson to take stern action against these non-Goan wholesale vendors so that they can conduct their business peacefully and has requested the municipality to issue them ID cards at the earliest.
