Asmita Polji
asmita@herald-goa.com
MAPUSA: It was almost a decade ago that the crumbling Aldona market complex had been declared dangerous and unsafe for use. But cut to the present day and the village’s sole marketplace continues to reel under neglect as sources say that a deadlock over the rehabilitation of shop owners has hampered plans for its redevelopment.
Ownership of the land the building stands on is complicated too, with separate portions allegedly being owned by the comunidade, the local panchayat and the shop owners themselves.
Over half a century old, the one-storeyed building comprises 30 shops, all of which are in a dismal condition. It is not unusual to see chunks of the ceiling fall off, exposing the iron framework, or fissures develop in the walls of the structure.
Upon receiving a structural audit report from the Goa Engineering College in 2014 of the danger the market complex posed to the lives of vendors and shoppers, the Aldonapanchayat had issued letters to all 30 shop owners asking them to vacate the premises immediately so that the building could be reconstructed. While the panchayat did also mention that the shopkeepers would be rehabilitated elsewhere in the interim, the process was not followed through, prompting the shop owners to stay put in the dilapidated market building.
“Eight years ago, the panchayat had sent letters to all the shop owners asking that they vacate the building. The letters were sent without taking the shop owners into confidence. After issuing notice, the panchayat held a slew of meetings and during those meetings we raised several questions regarding rehabilitation because we are entirely dependent on our shops. The panchayat’s responses, however, were not satisfactory,” a shop owner going by the name of Alemao, said.
The shop owners claimed that the panchayat refused to give them any written assurances about when the new building would be completed and where they would be temporarily shifted to. “Since we were told to vacate our shops immediately, we consulted our lawyer. If we had obeyed the panchayat then, we have now been on the streets now,” said Palni, another shop owner.
It now appears that having a full-fledged market complex will continue to only remain a dream for the people of Aldona as they risk their lives using the 52-year-old village marketplace which is bereft of toilets, a cold storage facility for fish, and adequate sitting spaces for vendors. The lack of infrastructure and fear of it collapsing at any time has prompted many vendors to now conduct business outside the building.
