Team Herald
MAPUSA: Accusing the Mapusa Municipal Council (MMC) of fooling its members, the Mapusa Merchants Association (MMA) has decided to keep the shops closed for two hours on Friday to protest the failure of the municipality to deal with encroachments in the market.
President of Mapusa Merchants Association (MMA), Ashish Shirodkar along with a delegation met the MMC chairperson Ryan Braganza on Thursday to deliberate on issues relating to the municipal market.
“The Chairperson is not allowed to take fast decision or maybe there is some incompetency at the administrative level. We want a proper mechanism to be set up for the vendors. At the Independence Day speech, the MMC chief said that after Chaturthi everything will be in order. Now, Diwali festival is fast approaching but nothing is moving. We have started losing faith in the council,” Ashish said.
“The vendors are still storing their goods in the market at night. Our clientele is taken away and we have to only watch these outside vendors carrying out business illegally. We are at the mercy of the sopo collectors who allow them to sit. On Friday will see that no vendors sit in the parking area. If need be we will continue this on other days as well,” he warned.
The MMC chairperson informed Herald that the merchants met him regarding encroachments in the municipal market and regarding few other complaints. “We have made it very clear to them that an encroachments drive is being carried out in the market step by step. We cannot target everything at one go as we have our limitations. They can close the shops we cannot do anything about that but as far as taking law in their hands is concerned it is not correct,” he added.
