Team Herald
VASCO: Vasco Saptah 2018 will be made plastic free this year with fines of Rs 5000 finalised to be imposed against defaulters. The Mormugao Municipal Council (MMC) has also resolved to raise the donation for Saptah to Rs 1 lakh from the earlier Rs 50,000.
MMC held its special meeting on Tuesday under the Chairmanship of Bhavana Nanoskar to discuss regarding the planning of the Vasco Saptah 2018.
The municipality has also resolved to clean the Khariwado jetty area which is made filthy every year during the ceremony of Saptah. Councillor Saifulla Khan had raised this issue at the meeting.
The proposal of Councillor Kritesh Gaonkar of auctioning the stalls at Saptah in the future, however, received a flak after the opposition Councillors said that there is no need for an auction. Kritesh said: “Auctioning of the stalls is one of the plans that we can execute in the future as it will reduce the sub letting of stalls by allottees.”
“As per my information, 25% stalls are sublet by the allottees and it has allegedly become a money making business for some handful. This can stop with auctioning of the stalls,” he added. He also said that “new businessmen can come in through auctioning of the stalls since there have been several complaints against the owners of the stalls.”
However, the Opposition did not like the proposal and said: “Auctioning is not a good idea. There are several traditional businesses like the Khajekaars, Tamhankars, Patkars who have been coming here as a part of the tradition and the auctioning will only result in chaos,” said Deepak Naik.
“We have supported them in their other endeavours but it will be unfair to even have it on trial basis,” he added.
The MMC has received Rs 1 lakh in grants from the GSUDA for providing cloth bags to the fair vendors and the same will be ordered to be stitched and supplied.
