The SGPDA market will remind you of the famous Gregory Peck film Mackenna’s Gold with the famous song ‘Old turkey buzzard’ when you see the numerous kites and vultures swooping over the market meat and fish garbage.
One of the biggest problems in Margao is the maintenance of its markets and working with garbage and sewage from these markets. The South Goa Planning and Development Authorities built one such market and have been running it for over 20 years but with fair share of problems including managing the stench and cleanliness of the market, besides being accused of releasing market sewage in a nearby drain.
The market which services the entire Salcete taluka and its thirty villages with a retail fish market, vegetable and fruits market, chicken, mutton and beef market and also acts as a parking lot for all rickshaw operators.
“Any planning and development authority should focus on city planning rather than running markets. The SGPDA should give up running this market and this aspect needs to be looked into by the municipality which has the machinery and infrastructure and also sanitary officers to look after the market,” explains the Fatorda MLA and TCP minister, Vijai Sardesai who wants to bring the market under his proposed Fatorda Municipality.
The market which has faced flak by activists and daily commuters for its stench and sewage had a major makeover last year when its then chairman Mauvin D’Souza roped in Rajendra Talak to beautify the market with some fancy cosmetic renovation but did nothing much besides that, leaving the sidewalks filthy and broken. In fact the perennial stench in the market remains as nauseating as ever. Even the current contractor of Green Goa Foundation has quit the market cleaning while Deer Tree that tried to run a proposed Biogas plant from the market waste also shut down stating that SGPDA was irregular with its support and payments.
“The SGPDA has a list of issues from the ODP to sorting out construction issues but is still grappling to oversee the market cleanliness and has appointed a new contractor besides starting measures like locking up the market at night to keep the stray animals away,” explains Member Secretary Anand Kumar. Chairperson Renuka D’Souza is unavailable at the SGPDA Office and we’re told she makes an appearance only on Thursdays.
The people also fear the clogged drains and filthy water in the corridors, besides numerous electrical lines illegally taken by vendors run parallel to the market corridors making the place dangerous.
“ There are so many styrofoam boxes rotting in the market but the vendors are just unwilling to clear them and this is frustrating and prevents our work of trying to clean the market, explains Pappu, who looks after the upkeep of the market.
