MARGAO: The anti-encroachment drive of the Margao municipality and the promises made by the council in the press conference have now fallen flat on its face as the MMC is now all set to hand over the gadas of the non-licensed vendors after imposing fine on them.
The drive was conducted for a week and seized 30 gadas from around the town; it appeared promising, but in the end, the Council failed to live upto its commitment.
The MMC chairperson has now claimed that there has been no formal resolution on dismantling the gadas and auctioning of the goods, the reason being lack of space to store the residue in the civic body.
It may be recalled that the MMC had confidently decided at a press conference to do the things they have retracted on now. The Chief Officer Yashwant Tawde, meanwhile, said the he would comply with the decision of the council.
The non-licensed illegal gada trade has already been infamous for enjoying political patronage and the same is vindicated from this incident.
The Shadow Council has already criticised the MMC for having retracted on their statement. However, the MMC is now in a desperate attempt to get the money spent on the overtime and the drive earlier and has decided the fine to be 4 thousand rupees per gada.
The MMC had ordered immediate action on all the violations, after Chairperson Babita Angle faced a verbal insult from a self-styled president of the non-licensed, un-registered association of street vendors, a week ago.
Last week, acting on a unanimous resolution of the MMC, its staff removed most of the carts operating illegally in Margao and Fatorda areas. However, the reality and the depth of the problems was exposed on the same day when the MMC inspectors told the Administration that they are too less in numbers to tackle the violations.
Besides, the recently concluded anti-encroachment drive was one of the largest and the shortcomings of the MMC were clearly visible after the drive was over.
The MMC has carried out small and big anti-encroachment drives in the past, but the administration has failed to have a proper warehouse facility for the confiscated material. The MMC has been using the foyer area of the entrance to dump the confiscated material for years now. This material lies for days forcing the MMC to close one of its entrance doors the following months.
The chief officer has also confirmed the same saying, “In the past the carts and kiosks confiscated from Margao were kept in garden and later auctioned. This is because we do not have space for storing it.”
“It is a fact that there is no warehouse in the MMC, but this time we will not give the carts back,” he had said.
Likewise, the carts and kiosks in Margao which were removed in 1997 after the High Court order have been denied of rehabilitation for 19 long years.
The MMC has conveniently forgotten the kiosks and carts which were confiscated in 1997 after the High Court order. Executing the Court order, the then Council had removed 101 carts and kiosks which were hindrance to pedestrians on footpaths and also the once which were in the road widening areas. Many of these persons who were removed from Margao still manage to make a living from small businesses in Margao and many are still waiting for the MMC to fulfil the promise they made to them of rehabilitation.
In the year 1997, when the High Court ordered removal of the carts and kiosks, it fixed a responsibility of rehabilitation of these carts on the Municipal body. The municipality removed the carts, but hasn’t succeeded in rehabilitating any of the cart owners.
When the MMC takes a step ahead the businessmen object to it and when businessmen present a proposal the MMC doesn’t agree with it.
After their removal in 1997, the MMC had taken up the work of rehabilitation of these businessmen and had relocated them in areas like the Old Market, Kadamba bus stand, near Tato Hotel and pick up stand in Margao. They have been doing business in the same small cubicle place in these spots.
The businessmen who were removed from Margao in 1997 were Goans and the kiosk was the only income source to their family.
Gadaa Traders Association President Prashant Naik said, “The businessmen who were earlier displaced have still been waiting for their rehabilitation. The rehabilitation which had to happen immediately after court order was not done.”
