I happened to visit the Margao wholesale fish market recently and was extremely disturbed to experience the very pathetic state of affairs.
As you enter the market, one is welcomed by an area which resembles nothing but an open sewer. I have made earlier visits to the place and I would just term those outings as just bearable. However, the present condition has dropped down to another level, which can be best described as third world.
People throng to the wholesale market, hoping to get a good deal for their fresh bulk purchases. It is very unfortunate for the common man to experience such a polluted and unhygienic place and further it’s even very challenging for the people whose work revolves around the place.
It’s worth mentioning that a new complex is in the making, however, the authorities concerned have not made any alternate arrangements towards improving the present conditions. The place lacks basic drainage and sewage control arrangements.
At some spots, there were ankle deep puddles holding stagnant muck, further exacerbated by the recent downpours. Above conditions are ideal for the spread of vector borne diseases and given the fact the fish and other food items are handled in the facility, it puts a big question mark on the kind of sea food, which eventually reaches our homes and plates. Is this the example of the so called ‘Shinning and Smart India’, which is projected everywhere? What are the elected representatives and the nodal bodies doing? The common citizen does not deserve such a pathetic experience. Develop basic amenities first.
I was also surprised to see a lone European visitor to the market and I just wonder what kind of message that gentleman is going to take back home. No doubt, that Goa is losing the upper cream of international tourists to other value giving locations namely Indonesia, Philippines and Vietnam. On the brighter side, the market displays a variety of sea food and if properly developed and managed, could be used to attract tourism like the famous Tsukiji Fish market in Tokyo.
I request the authorities concerned to kindly visit the site urgently and take immediate steps to rectify the issues.
