TEAM HERALD
MARGAO: A Margao Municipal team had firsthand experience of how encroachers deal with municipal workers when they go to clear encroachments on the footpaths and passages in the municipal market.
Margao Municipal Chief Officer Deepali Naik, Market Committee Chairperson Pratima Coutinho and city fathers, who were on an inspection trip to the New Market, saw for themselves a trader obstructing and trying to manhandle municipal workers who were discharging their duties.
In another instance, a trader in the Gandhi market virtually tried to his show his might despite clear cut encroachment on public space.
The market committee chairperson told the chief officer the civic body should not tolerate such activities in the municipal markets and demanded stern action against the illegalities.
The inspection came ahead of the Wednesday meeting of the Municipal market panel which is expected to address a host of applications, including sopo transfers and payment of taxes.
“I hope the Chief Officer takes a serious note of the high-handed attitude of the trader by obstructing workers from removing the encroachments. This is an eye opener since the trader has resorted to this act right in front of the Municipal officers”, Pratima said.
Incidentally, while the traders cleared the encroachments by themselves during the visit of the municipal team, most of the encroachments returned back to square one in the evening, indicating the futile exercise of the Municipal team carried out in the morning.
