TEAM HERALD
MAPUSA: Merchants in Mapusa market fear the area will be flooded this year as the Mapusa Municipal Council hasn’t completed its pre-monsoon works there.
President of the Mapusa Merchants Association Yeshwant Gaundalker stated that although the monsoons were around the corner, the MMC had neither de-silted the main nullah near the market sub-yard nor cleaned the drains.
He said, “The fields near Kadamba bus stand have been filled with mud for construction of the new Kadamba bus stand. Naturally, the water which was getting absorbed in the fields will now flow down towards the market area. The market will be flooded, causing heavy losses to the merchants and vegetable vendors. MMC is fully aware that Mapusa market gets flooded every year. They should have planned properly this year, and also cleaned up each and every drain in the market, besides de-silting the main nullah.”
MMC Chairperson Roopa Bhakta stated that the MMC had allotted Rs 15 lakh for pre-monsoon work. The work was already awarded to a contractor, and the councillors were asked to supervise the work in their wards.
She said, “MMC is aware that the Mapusa market gets flooded every year during monsoon. Hence, the contractor has been advised to clean all the drainages and de-silt the main nullah in the market. It is the responsibility of each councillor to get the work completed in their respective wards before monsoon.”
