Team herald
CANACONA: Aggrieved over the decision of Canacona Municipal Council (CMC) to shift all the vendors, who are erecting temporary sheds during the Saturday bazaar at Chaudi, to a spacious well built vegetable and fruit market, around 300 vendors decided not to do business on the entire day on Saturday.
Chairperson Nitu Desai and Deputy Chairperson Kishore Shet speaking in unison informed this correspondent in no uncertain terms that the present system of squatting on the road in front and around CMC is creating traffic congestion on Chaudi-Ponsulem Road but also causing inconveniencing to both the commuters and locals, who come to do their purchases in the Saturday market.
“We have directed these vendors who are mostly from Karnataka to shift their trade to the spacious new vegetable and fruit market. Vegetable and fruit vendors can sit on the ground floor while garments, plastics and sellers of other light items can move on the first floor,” Shet said.
The Saturday market which was started 20 years ago when Santosh Gaonkar was the chairperson of CMC has grown in leaps and bounds, earlier less than 100 vendors used to come with mostly vegetables and fruits.
“Today atleast 300 vendors descend every Saturday with vegetables, fruits, spices, plastic ware and even readymade garments.”
“Thousands of locals visit this Saturday bazaar and it has become a mess, it is necessary to shift these vendors to the new building,” Gaonkar stressed.
When this correspondent visited the market the 300 vendors had stationed their vehicles loaded with material beside KTC Bus stand, Chaudi fish market and near post office.
Leader of vendor speaking to Herald said that they will not be able to shift bags which are weighing 50kgs to the first floor, but when directed to pack it in two or three bags he abruptly ended the conversation.
Another vendor said that there are two groups amongst them, and the vendors who are opposing the move to shift are the ones who have been coming here since many years.
“They are upset with the newcomers like me who sell at a lower rate; they feel threatened that their business will get affected as the new building has lot of place for additional vendors who are ready to sell at a lower rate,” he explained on the condition of anonymity.
However, all Cancokars have welcomed this decision of CMC and are ready to go without vegetables from their menu for a few days, till the vendors shift to the new area allocated to them.
