FRIDAY, APRIL 19, 2024
Team Herald
Margao: The retail market vendors of SGPDA, all of whom are sons and daughters of the soil, are deeply upset by the retail trade happening at the Wholesale Fish Market.
Fishermen in a meeting with the Chairman of the SGPDA have complained that their business is down to only 10% of what it was earlier. The fishermen will complain to the Collector regarding the rampant unauthorized fish sale outside the retail market by outsider controlled lobbies.
It was also realized that the fish cutters and the fish sellers at the Wholesale Fish Market are non-Goans and are encroaching upon the businesses of Goans.
The Goan fishermen in the SGPDA Retail Market already had their share of worries due to the lack of maintenance of market, cleanliness and also the reduced business due to COVID-19 pandemic.
Sadly, some politicians from Salcete asked for a favour from the SGPDA to allow a handful of fishermen to do retail business near the wholesale market. However, the requests have snowballed into a full-fledged parallel market being run at the Wholesale Fish Market and is spoiling the business of the retailers at the retail market.
Felix Gonsalves, President of the SGPDA Retail Market Federation represented the fishermen and fish cutters of the retail market. He said, "Just for the sake of convenience of some of the buyers at the Wholesale Market we had allowed 6 fish cutters. However, today there are 57 fish cutters and it has become a retail market"" he complained.
Felix also said that the retailers will be filing a complaint regarding the reckless fish trade going on all over the town destroying the purpose of the retail market. "Why was this market built if fish was to be sold all over on the roadsides?" asked Felix.
The Chairman of SGPDA Wilfred D'sa after giving a patient hearing has suggested that the retailers also complain to the Margao Municipal Council to get the vendors removed from the roadsides across the town.
"The market would be open even till 11 am which resulted in the loss of business to retailers. We will attempt to decide the stoppage of the Wholesale Fish Market business at 9 am," said Wilfred.
The registered legitimate fish cutters at the SGPDA retail fish market too are losing business due to the shifting of entire fish sale to the Wholesale Market areas.
