Team Herald
PANJIM: Taking note of stalls on footpaths, the Goa Human Rights Commission (GHRC) has recommended that the Se Old Goa village panchayat forthwith take steps to clear footpaths of stalls causing obstructions in front of the Vailankanni Apartments and Carl Centre at Old Goa.
The Commission has also asked the Old Goa police station to provide necessary protection to the panchayat to remove stalls.
Further both, the panchayat and the police have been asked to submit action taken report to the Commission on March 21.
The residents of Vailankanni Apartments and Carl Centre, Old Goa had complained to the GHRC that the stalls situated on footpaths in front of their building was causing obstructions thereby violating their human rights. It was also disrupting their day-to-day work. The shop owners situated in the ground floor of the apartments had also complained that they were suffering loss as people were finding difficult to visit their shops due to stalls on footpaths.
In his reply, the panchayat secretary stated that the complainants had not filed any complaint in this regard to the panchayat office and hence no action was taken. He said on receipt of the notice from the Commission, the panchayat acted swiftly and requested the Old Goa police to stop illegal vendors occupying the foothpath in front of Accordingly, a joint drive was carried by the panchayat and the police out to remove the hawkers, the secretary stated in his reply.
But during the hearing, the panchayat secretary stated that stalls were moving carts while, the complainants advocate Vassu Shirodkar pointed out that stalls were not moving carts and they were at fixed places.
Following this the two-member Commission comprising acting Chairperson Desmond D'Costa and Member Pramod V Kamat made the recommendations.