Team Herald
PANJIM: After much anticipation, the displaced meat vendors have once again been left disappointed as the Corporation of the City of Panjim (CCP) in special meeting has resolved to rehabilitate them by offering only sopo spaces in the same shed along with the fish vendors.
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The said sopo spaces being offered are on first come first served basis and with no guarantee of a permanent spot. The meat vendors have reiterated their demand for a proper rehabilitation to carry out their businesses in the Panjim market.
While hearing a special leave application (SLP) filed by the CCP before the Supreme Court, CCP counsel senior advocate Ranjit Kumar told the Court that the Corporation had passed a resolution to accommodate six meat vendors in the same shed along with fish vendors and that they will have to pay sopo. The CCP Commissioner Clen Madeira was also present in Delhi for the hearing before the Apex Court on Friday.
The Supreme Court while hearing the matter inquired whether a separate spot could be allocated to the meat vendors exclusively instead of a sopo space proposal put forth by CCP.
Arguing on behalf of the meat vendors, who had filed a caveat, former Additional Solicitor General Senior Advocate ANS Nadkarni demanded proper rehabilitation to the displaced vendors. He brought to the notice of the Apex Court that in October last year the High Court of Bombay at Goa had directed the CCP to frame a scheme within six weeks for interim rehabilitation of meat/chicken vendors as obligation is cast on it till the new building is constructed. The High Court had also directed the Corporation to submit the details of the new building to be constructed with timeline for its completion within eight weeks.
Senior Advocate Nadkarni demanded permanent rehabilitation to the meat vendors. The matter has been posted for further hearing on January 28th.
On January 15, the CCP in its special meeting had discussed the two representations submitted by Mushtak Hussain Khatib and other meat vendors and Swati D Amonkar requesting their rehabilitation to carry out their businesses in the Panjim market. The meeting had passed a resolution to allow the six meat vendors to sell their meat in the same manner as the fish vendors in the shed which is being constructed for the fish vendors, on payment of daily sopo.
The Corporation had however rejected the application of Swati D Amonkar since she was not a meat or fish vendor.
Since August 2024 the meat vendors are struggling to earn their livelihood as they were evicted from the Panjim fish market building after it was declared unsafe and demolished.
