TEAM HERALD
bureau@herald-goa.com
CANACONA: With the local bazaars hit by escalating prices of essential vegetables, residents of Canacona taluka have turned to mobile vans deputed by the Horticultural Corporations to procure vegetable at discounted rates.
On Thursday, the Horticulture Corporation’s mobile vans sold onions for Rs 42, while the open market rates of onion ranged Rs 62 and above.
The Horticulture Corporation’s van made its surprise appearance at Palolem, as hundreds of residents made a beeline to buy provisions like onions (Rs 42 as against the horticulture kiosks rate of Rs 53), potatoes (Rs 15) and tomatoes (Rs 13).
In view of fast-approaching Ganesh festival, residents also made the most of horticulture corporation’s subsidized rates buying 2 kg each of grocery items like sugar (Rs 31), atta (Rs 20), vatana (Rs 35), mung-dal (Rs 61), tur-dal (Rs 55), etc.
According to GHCL Director Remy Borges, the mobile van went in the CMC area for the first time and it was a big success.
Borges informed that on Wednesday, in a slight expansion from usual practice of mobile van visiting only panchayat ghars deputation of mobile van to Galgibaga and Sadolxem saw unexpected response, with many residents flocking and emptying the entire load of onions.
“The response from people of Galgibaga and Sadolxed was overwhelming and efforts will be made to cover more areas other than the mobile van visiting only panchayat headquarters in Canacona taluka,” Borges informed Herald.
Besides, the fortnightly visits of mobile van in all the seven municipal headquarters, there are about seven horticulture kiosks in different part of the taluka. Deputy Chairperson Rajeshri Divakar Pagui and councillor Simon Rebello welcomed GHCL’s move and hope that visits by mobile van will continue in future.
Meanwhile, CMC is busy in making an alternate arrangement for weekly Saturday bazaar at KTC bus stand. Since last year, due to heavy rush in an around the municipal building CMC has been making alternate arrangement near KTC bus stand.
