PANJIM: Shopkeepers in Panjim are furious with the
Corporation of the City of Panaji (CCP) for permitting the Samba Square at the
Garcia D’Orta garden (Municipal garden) in Panjim. The shopkeepers claim that
this event and Carnival which are scheduled to being on Saturday affects their
age-old businesses as the streets are blocked by the Carnival committee.
Speaking to Herald the shopkeepers said CCP has given
permission to block the city roads in violation of the Supreme Court guidelines
and they don’t have jurisdiction to issue permissions to block the roads in the
city.
Over 20 shopkeepers from the State’s capital had approached
the High Court of Bombay at Goa with a petition in November 2015 pleading that
no permission be given to the Samba Square.
During the course of the hearing, the petitioners also
pleaded that the Carnival procession be shifted away from the capital as it
aggravates the traffic congestion and parking problem the city is already
facing.
The HC that heard the arguments last week had asked the
Corporation City of Panaji (CCP) to file a reply on how they will tackle the
issues cited in the petition. CCP, on January 30, 2016, told the court that the
carnival event has been taking place in Panjim since the 18th century, a claim
that was rubbished by the businessmen.
Shopkeepers, who in their first petition had said that
business was affected due to such events in the city, requested that they be
held outside the city limits.
The petition which was filed in the court will come up for
hearing soon. In the meanwhile the Panjim feast has already taken place and
Carnival is set to begin. All the roads around the municipal garden had been
closed for traffic during the Panjim feast fair in December leading to traffic
congestion and accumulation of garbage.
