Margao New Market traders defer bandh
HERALD REPORTER
MARGAO, MARCH 29
Margao New Market traders have deferred their proposed day-long bandh in the Commercial capital on March 31 in view of the SSC examinations, but has vowed to take a morcha to the Margao Municipal Council anytime after April 10.
President of the New Market Traders Association, Vinod Shirodkar told newsmen after a meeting with Sub-divisional Police officer, Margao DySP Umesh Gaonkar that the proposed shut down planned on March 31 stands postponed in view of the examinations. “The decision to defer the shut down was taken after a meeting with the traders from Mapusa this evening. We were requested not to go ahead with the shut down in view of the examinations”, Shirodkar said.
He, however, warned that the New Market traders would gherao the Margao Civic body for what he termed as its utter failure to meet the basic demands of the traders to crack a whip on mushrooming exhibitions-cum-sales and the absence of basic amenities in the New Market area. “The Traders would go enforce a bandh in the city in the event the Margao Municipal Council still fails to wake up from slumber and redress our grievances”, he warned.
During the meeting with the DySP Gaonkar, which was attended by DySP, Traffic Gajanan Prabhudessai, Margao PI Santosh Desai and Margao Traffic PI Prabodh Shirwaikar, the traders placed before the law enforcing authorities a host of demands, including proper parking in the new market area, crack down on illegal vendors in the city and handcarts etc.
DySP Gaonkar assured the traders that the police would initiate all steps falling in their domain, and requested them to take up other issues with the Margao Municipal Council or the district Collector.
He said the Chief Minister Digambar Kamat had given eight days time to the Margao Civic body to put all things in order in the New Market, but in vain. “Besides inspecting the PWD tank and the fire hydrants, the MMC did nothing,. Fish is being openly sold in the market lanes and streets. The toilets are stinking. The New Market building is crumbling, but no action has come from the Civic authorities till date”, Shirodkar lamented.
On the question of exhibition-cum-sales in the city, Shirodkar pointed out that the Civic body had promised to allow only one exhibition a month within the city limits. “This promise has been violated with impunity. Sales are the order of the day in the city. We will not take things lying down any longer. The traders will take action if the Civic body fails to do so”, he warned.
In this connection, Shirodkar produced a copy of an order from the district Magistrate, G P Naik called upon the authorities to first ask the organizers of sales to make parking arrangements at the BPS club before permitting the exhibitions. “It’s more than a year since this order was passed by the Magistrate, but the Civic body has till date not insisted on BPS to make the parking arrangements”, he added.
