SATURDAY, APRIL 20, 2024
Team Herald
VASCO: The Mormugao Municipal Council on Tuesday issued a show cause notice to fish wholesalers operating at Kharewado, here asking them to shut their business activity within seven days from the receipt of the notice.
The show cause notice has been issued following report by the municipal inspectors that fish wholesalers are conducting their business activity of storage and sale of fish in the municipal jurisdiction within one-km of the existing municipal fish market at Vasco, which is prohibited as per the Municipalities Act.
The municipal inspectors have stated that the activity of the fish wholesalers within one-km of the fish market is illegal as per Section 252 of Goa Municipalities Act, 1968 and the bye-law 2 (iii) of the Storage or Sale of Flesh or Fish Bye-laws, 1971.
It has also come to light that the fish wholesalers are conducting their business of storage and sale of fish without obtaining valid trade licence, which is required as per Section 265 of Goa Municipalities Act. The local fish vendors had also objected to the wholesale fish market in their proximity for the last many years.
The Mormugao chief officer in his show cause notice has stated that if the fish wholesalers fail to stop their business within seven days from the receipt of the notice, the municipality will seal the premises and seize the material found there.
Reacting to the notice, the fish wholesalers demanded that the municipality should stop all roadside fish selling activities.
Fish wholesaler Paixao Monteiro said that the municipality is trying to deprive people from buying fresh quality fish at cheap prices in the wholesale market.
Claiming to be traditional fishermen, Monteiro said the vendors selling fish in the municipal market were mostly from Karwar district of Karnataka and had no licence.
Another wholesaler trader Lawrence D'Souza said that there is demand from the people that fish be provided to them at low price in the wholesale market. The municipality is trying to deprive us of our livelihood, he charged.
Ward councillor Mathias Monteiro extends support to fish wholesalers, demands MMC and MLA to have a dedicated wholesale fish market
Meanwhile, Mormugao councillor Mathias Monteiro, who is also fish agent has extended support to the wholesalers.
Stating that the Mormugao municipality has taken a wrong decision, he demanded that the municipality should reconsider the show cause notice issued to the wholesale traders.
