Team Herald
MARGAO: The Town and Country Planning Minister Vijai Sardessai on Wednesday said that the decision to re-tender the makeover of the South Goa Planning and Development Authority retail fish market at Margao was a blessing as the new tender would be for an improved fish market similar to the one existing in Dubai.
“The fish market in Dubai has a slanting steel table which is filled with ice on which the fish is kept. The melting ice water is then directly siphoned to the drain with the market floor remaining clean and tidy,” he said while disclosing that the new tender will be to have that kind of a fish market.
The fish market at present has granite platforms on which the vendors sit and also keep the fish that is placed in baskets or tubs, water from which seeps on the floor making the market a wet and sloppy.
It may be recalled that Vijai along with Margao Municipal Council Chairperson Dr Babita Angle and SGPDA Chairperson Renuka D’Silva had inspected the SGPDA market on October 3 this year and promised to liberate it by Liberation Day.
However, only one party quoted for the tender and though it could be accepted as the tender was below the estimated cost, it was decided to re-tender the project so that more parties could participate primarily because former chief minister and Margao MLA Digambar Kamat had objected to awarding the work to the single bidder.
“He is an opposition MLA and if his objection was not heeded then there could have been some other problems tomorrow and therefore I asked for it to be retendered,” Vijai said.
Vijai also revealed plans to make the market a colourful structure with Goan culture reflected on the walls maybe through Mario’s cartoons or the various festivals of Goa depicted there.
