VASCO: The people of Vasco want the modern fish market complex project to become a wonderful reality of the Port town but the hurdle in this dream project are the illegal fish vendors who have mushroomed in the municipal area since the COVID-19 pandemic.
These illegal fish vendors have given a tough time for the retail fish vendors from the fish market shed of Vasco; and in the battle to stop these illegal non-Goan fish vendors selling fish at the roadside, the Goan boat owners who sell fish at the Vasco jetty, have also been embroiled and were asked to stop selling fish for some time on the request of the Mormugao Municipal Council (MMC) and Deputy Collector.
On October 5, 2020, there was a joint meeting which was attended by the Vasco MLA Carlos Almeida, MMC Chairperson Nandadeep Raut, Mormugao Deputy Collector Sachin Desai, MMC Chief Officer Arvind Bugde, MMC Councillor Fredrick Henriques and Vasco Police Inspector Nilesh Rane along with Caridade Pereira, the President of the Vasco Fish Market Association.
At the meeting, the retail fish vendors from the fish market shed were assured that the MMC will forbid the illegal vendors from sitting at the roadside and selling fish illegally in the municipal area.
In return, the retail fish vendors, fisherwomen were requested to cooperate with the MMC to vacate the existing fish market shed, so that a temporary shed opposite the existing fish market shed, where the new fish market complex will come up, could be erected.
On October 6, 2020 when one councillor visited the fish market area to conduct a site inspection to erect a temporary shed, the fisherwomen and retail fish vendors confronted the councillor. He was clearly at the receiving end of the wrath of the irate fisher-folk
They had a clear demand, fulfil their demands, which in a nutshell are this – construct the new market and get illegal fish sellers mainly from outside Goa, out of the way.
On two consecutive days, groups of fish traders, vendors as well as local fishing boat owners met local authorities to discuss the issue (see box for details).
Retail fish vendors had also warned the councillor that if the situation doesn’t change and if MMC fails to stop illegal fish vendors from selling fish outside the fish market shed on the roadside, then the retail fish vendors will not vacate then existing fish market shed.
When Caridade Pereira, President of the Vasco fish market association was asked if she had any problem with the boat owners selling fish inside the jetty premises, to which she said that she has a problem if the fish are sold outside the fish market shed in the city area at the roadside.
When contacted Micheal Pereira, chairman of Vasco Fishing Boat Owners Marketing Cooperative Society, he narrated the issue from the beginning of the pandemic, when many people lost their jobs and took up selling fish at the roadside to earn their livelihood, as the fish market shed from Vasco, was also closed. Boat Owners started selling fish inside the Vasco jetty premises during this lockdown after the fish market was also closed.
Pereira also mentioned that there are few wholesale vendors who sell fish at the roadside since the lockdown time. These people purchase fish from us and also from Margao wholesale market and sell it here. But unfortunately in this misunderstanding we are facing the wrath of the authorities. In fact, people are happy buying fish at reasonable rates as boat owners also have trade licenses.
