MARGAO: The Wholesale Fish Market owned by the South Goa Planning and Development Authority (SGPDA) is in the spotlight again, due to allegations of overcharging fish-carrying vehicles.
On Thursday, a group of wholesale fish traders marched into the SGPDA office, seeking immediate intervention from officials. Traders alleged that the contractor responsible for fee collection was overcharging them, effectively exploiting the traders. This issue has been raised in the past, with complaints about excessive fees collected even from small fishermen selling retail fish on two-wheelers.
Zahid Shaikh, General Secretary of the Wholesale Fish Traders Association, accused the fee collector of extorting money under the guise of official fees. “The SGPDA sets a fee of Rs 500 for heavy vehicles and Rs 300 for light motor vehicles entering the market, but the contractor’s employees are charging additional fees, causing financial losses for traders,” Shaikh stated.
The General Secretary further alleged that traders were facing harassment from the fee collector responsible for collecting “sopo.” In response, the Member Secretary (MS) of the SGPDA assured the Wholesale Fish Traders Association that the issue would be presented before the board members for further action.
Fish traders said they were keen to cooperate with the authorities for the systematic operation of the market, but rued that they were still being fleeced.
In the evening, tensions flared at the wholesale fish market, leading to a dispute between traders and the fee-collecting contractor. Amidst the heated exchange, the contractor denied any accusations of overcharging, stating that fees were collected strictly according to the rates set by market authorities. “We have no issues with heavy vehicles parking outside the market and conducting their business,” the contractor clarified. Despite this, tensions persisted as traders continued allege harassment over fee collection. The situation necessitated intervention from Fatorda police to prevent a law-and-order situation.
