TEAM HERALD
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MARGAO: Tension is brewing in the South Goa Planning and Development Authority over the controversial religious structure erected near the market parking lot.
District Collector N D Agrawal on Wednesday set a two-day deadline on the market vendors to remove the religious structure. But the vendors have said they would not allow the authorities to demolish the place of worship.
Less than a week after the SGPDA left the controversial matter to be decided by the District Collector, Agrawal on Wednesday convened a meeting with the market vendors in his office to discuss the issue threadbare.
After the meeting, Agrawal told the waiting media that he has told the vendors to remove by themselves the religious structure since it violates the Supreme Court order. “I have shown the vendor a copy of the Supreme Court order which prohibits places of worship in public place. Today’s meeting was convened since the district administration had no intention to hurt the religious sentiments of any community,” he said.
Replying to a question, he said the district authorities will draw up a plan of action if the vendors fail to act within the two-day deadline.
President of Fish vendors Association, Felix Gonsalves, however, said the market vendors are firm in their resolve not to remove the religious structure. “When I discussed the matter with our vendors, they said no to the removal of the religious structure. We will plan our strategy if the authorities tried to demolish the structure. The religious structure is not obstructing any person and we fail to understand why the SGPDA and the Collector are hell bent in removing the structure”, he said.
Felix further pointed out that when the vendors were shifted from the old fish market to the PDA market a decade ago, they were allotted suitable place in the market complex to erect a place of worship, but in vain.
