23 May 2020  |   05:55am IST

Face closure if you don’t maintain cleanliness: Panjim Mayor to market shopkeepers

Face closure if you don’t maintain cleanliness: Panjim Mayor to market shopkeepers

Team Herald

Panjim: Panjim Mayor Uday Madkaikar has come down heavily on the Panjim market shop owners for not adhering to hygiene measures. Failure to ban consumers from spitting in the market complex - a public place – angered the Mayor, who has now warned of shutting the shops till cleanliness is not maintained. 

“I have warned you several times to maintain cleanliness and ensure nobody is spitting. Our workers are cleaning the areas around your shops and the walls, regularly but the market gets dirty again. Get your shops cleaned and painted, else I will close the shops,” Madkaikar warned the shop owners during a short interaction outside the Corporation of City of Panaji (CCP) on Friday. 

The CCP workers have been cleaning the market complex even before the operations began on odd-even basis since the beginning of this month. The complex and the old market have also been sanitized to ensure health safety of the vendors and the visitors. 

On Thursday, Union Health Minister  appealed to the State to ban the sale and use of tobacco/ smokeless tobacco products as well as spitting in public places. 

Goa has been booking the violators under the already existing law Goa Prohibition of Smoking and Spitting Act, 1997, under which police and mamlatdars are empowered to ensure its implementation. Since the enforcement of the lockdown till Friday,; Police has booked 7559 spitting cases. 

Meanwhile, the CCP granted permission for Purumentache Fest (May 24 -  May 31). Madkaikar  added that only 50 local traditional vendors are allowed to display their product by taking all the precautions such as wearing masks, social distancing, etc. 


IDhar UDHAR

Idhar Udhar