A number of shops lying idle due to tussle between vendors & MMC
MMC insists that the vendors should relinquish possession of their old shops
Vendors question the wisdom of civic body in providing them space on the first floor of the new complex
ANIL SHANKHWALKER
Their shops have been ready since January 26, but meat vendors have bluntly refused to shift to the new fish market complex at Mapusa.
An ongoing tussle between these vendors and the Mapusa Municipal Council (MMC) has left a number of shops lying idle on the first floor in the market complex, much to the unhappiness of the customers.
While the MMC insists that the meat vendors should relinquish possession of their old shops before taking up the new stalls, the meat vendors have questioned the wisdom of MMC in providing them space on the first floor in the new market complex.
On January 26, Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar had inaugurated the new market complex, built at a cost of Rs 9.29 crore and spread over an area of 2,488 sq metres.
The ground floor was allotted to accommodate 240 fish vendors, a cold storage room, toilets, and rooms for the municipal inspectors and the linesmen of electricity department.
Provision was made on the first floor to accommodate around 44 meat (chicken, mutton, beef and pork) stalls, toilets and a canteen.
While the fish vendors quickly commenced their business in the new market premises, the other meat vendors refused to occupy the stalls on the first floor. The canteen is also yet to commence on the first floor.
“The MMC had delivered possessions letters to 28 chicken and meat vendors on March 24, requesting them to surrender their old stalls in the market and to take possession of stalls in the new market complex,” MMC Chairperson Sandeep Falari told Herald.
“They were directed to lock their old stalls and hand over the keys to MMC, before taking over possession of the new stalls. This is because, it had become a practice for shopkeepers or vendors to retain possession of their old shops while occupying the new stalls in the market complex.”
“The MMC had, therefore, made it mandatory for the meat vendors to hand over the keys of their existing stalls to the civic body, failing which they would not be given possession in the new market complex.”
“The MMC proposes to demolish the old building presently occupied by meat vendors and to utilize the space for parking facilities,” Falari added.
When contacted, a group of meat vendors told Herald that they were not interested in occupying the first floor of the new market complex due to three practical difficulties.
They claimed that locating the meat stalls on the first floor was impractical given the fact that heavy loads of meat would have to be carted to the first floor on a daily basis.
They also feared that transporting the meat on the first floor would leave bloodstains on the steps, making them slippery and dirty.
The aggrieved meat vendors also complained that the small stalls on the first floor did not make it possible for them to install deep freezers, thereby hindering storage of meat products.
Blaming the MMC for failing to take them into confidence while planning the new market complex, the meat vendors claimed that the ideal location for the meat stalls should have been on the ground floor and close to the road to enable easier transportation of meat.
Instead of forcing them to shift to the new market complex, the meat vendors were acceptable to the idea of moving away from the fish market.
“It is not necessary that our stalls should only be in the fish market. If MMC constructs stalls for us away from the fish market, we are prepared to shift there provided that the stalls are located on the ground floor. We have conveyed our difficulties to MMC,” said one meat vendor.
