The Mapusa Municipal Market, which is famous for its “Friday Market” seems to be running out of space due to an increasing number of vendors occupying every inch of market. A visit to the town market is an experience trying to avoid slamming into people also trying to also buy from the vendors.
The local Mapusa Municipal Council collects Rs 10 per sqmt daily as sopo from the street vendors, while the shopkeepers pay the civic body their monthly rent. The current scenario is such that people who visit the market for their daily shopping are forced to walk in a stealth manner. The locals claim the municipality is aware of the current situation in the market but has been a mute spectator to the same.
Things turn from bad to worse during the Friday market as the situation gets chaotic as people from Bardez and other neighbouring talukas visit the market for shopping. Traffic snarls seems to be the order of the day on Fridays.
However even if it not the weekly market day, it is filled with different types of vendors and hawkers who leave no empty space for people to talk.
The absence of a vending zone in the Mapusa market does not help matters. Under vending zones, different types of vendors are allotted in different zones to conduct business. The market has been completely mismanaged by the authorities. With assurance to clear enhancements, the municipality has managed to clear only a few encroached zones leaving others unnoticed.
The vendors have occupied every entrance of the market making it difficult for people enter the market and walk freely.
A local Arti Dharwadkar said,” The market is mixed since any type of vendor can be found sitting on any corner of the market. There is no specific area where same vendor’s will be found sitting because of which we have to go round and round to buy any particular product.
Another shopper, Sailee Gaonkar said,” There are no proper sections. If there are vendor of garments then in-between there will be fruit sellers, vegetable sellers. The market has turned chaotic and difficult to walk freely in the market since every space is occupied even the road and footpath. The people selling chat, fruits, vegetables and sometimes even fish can be seen sitting on any corner”.
Adding to this, vendors as well as commuters take their two wheelers directly inside and park in between the roads causing inconvenience to others. Since the municipality has put gates on two main entrances, people use other entries to being their vehicles inside.
