MAPUSA: Even after six years of declaring Aldona Market Complex as unsafe and dangerous, due to the failure of the authorities to act upon, the shop owners, vendors are still occupying risking their lives and also of the customers who visit the market.
In year 2014, a group of students of Goa Engineering College after conducting study of the building had reported that it is dangerous and not safe. However, it seems like having a fully-fledged market complex has only remained as a dream for the Aldonkars.
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Constructed in the year 1971, this 50 years old building is absolutely in bad condition and may collapse at any point of time. The roof has obtained cracks and for the last few years chunks of the ceiling are peeling off. The plaster from the walls and poles has come out in pieces that the iron rods can be clearly visible.
The building is a ground plus first floor and has around 30 shops in and around. The fish and vegetable vendors carry their business under the same roof while vendors keep their utensils openly on the floor after their business for the day gets over.
With no cold storage facility and proper sitting arrangements, the fish and vegetable vendors are sitting outside the building to sell fish and veggies.
Also there is no toilet facility in the building which adds up to the unhygienic situation of the market and surrounding.
With the number of cracks on the building and peeling off of plaster, the shop owners and vendors face the problem of water leakage during the rains making it difficult for the customers to walk and vendors to sit inside the building. There are around 30 shops but there is no gate for the building, which is also a security concern.
After looking at the condition of the building one can say that the authorities have poorly maintained it or not maintained ever.
Sources said that the land on which the existing market is located is partially owned by comunidade, panchayat and the shop owners due to which it’s taking time to come up with a final decision of going for a new market complex. What is going on now is a blame game.
After receiving a report stating that the building is unsafe, the panchayat had issued notices to all 30 shop owners to vacant their shops immediately for the demolition and construction of new building by shifting the vendors to new location. However, after that no further procedures were followed.
Sources informed that after issuing notices to the shop owners, panchayat took several meetings with the shop owners and comunidade on rehabilitation.
A shop owner said, “Six years before panchayat had sent notices to all the shop owners asking to vacate the shops. The notices were sent without taking the shop owners into consideration. After issuing notices, the panchayat took several meetings and in those meetings we raised several questions regarding rehabilitation and others since we totally survive on these shops. However, the panchayat members failed to answer the same.”
“During the last meeting held by the panchayat, we told them to rehabilitate us and give the project completion date in written but they didn’t do that. Since they told us to vacant the shops immediately we consulted our lawyer. If we had vacated the shop immediately than right now we would have been on the streets since after sending notices to the shop owners no further procedure is followed to put the market complex project in place,” said another shop owner.
