Team Herald
MARGAO: There has been a fish famine in Goa for nearly five days now. However, as Goans and particularly the Catholic community, were celebrating Easter, the lack of fish was not felt much. What is alarming is that the fish famine is likely to continue for some time as the Wholesale Fish Vendors Association has refused to do anything with the wholesale fish market as long as Milagres Fernandes continues to be the person collecting the fees from them.
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As there has been no fish supply in Salcete for the last five days Deputy Collector Jyoti Kumari called for a meeting today with wholesale fish vendors, South Goa Planning and Development Authority, the Contractor and police which proved to be successful in dealing with the law and order problem but totally failed in ensuring that fish will be available to Goans.
There has been a raging dispute at the wholesale fish market in Margao with the wholesale fish vendors making various charges against the contractor appointed by SGPDA to collect fees from them while the contractor alleging that the truck owners are not paying the amount agreed to.
The wholesale fish vendors do have an issue over the prices charged and they feel they are too high and argue that in other States the charges are lower than in Goa. However, what appears to be the main problem is the fact that Milagres is not officially given the contract to collect the sopo at the wholesale fish market because it has never been tendered.
While the two groups trade charges the ones who are actually suffering are the Goan fish eating people who have not been getting regular supply of fish for the last five days as the wholesale fish vendors are not bringing any fish from outside the State to the wholesale fish market.
