MARGAO: As part of the preparations to shift the wholesale fish market from its present location at Mungul, Fatorda, the Chairman of the South Goa Planning and Development Authority (SGPDA) held an inspection of four alternate sites to house the market temporarily, for one year.
“The Goa State Infrastructure Development Corporation (GSIDC) is presently doing work in this market. We have already handed over 55% of the market’s land to GSIDC, that part of the work is completed,” said Salkar. “They (GSIDC) have now asked the SGPDA to give them the remaining 45% so that they can complete the work quickly,” Salkar added.
“We saw four sites today. The first is near the Kadamba Bus Stand in Margao. The second is the SGPDA pick-up site. Then there’s the fisheries department land nearby, and a plot belonging to the Town and Country Planning (TCP) department,” Salkar added.
“We will now study which of these four sites is the most feasible for the temporary market. We will also be consulting with the two MLAs from Margao and Fatorda (SGPDA board members) and after taking their suggestions, we will go ahead,” Salkar added.
When pointed out that some of these locations like the SGPDA pick-up stand are in the vicinity of the existing wholesale market and may create a problem for vendors at SGPDA’s retail market, Salkar hoped that issue would get resolved too.
It may be recalled that retail vendors had demanded that the wholesale fish market be closed, as customers go directly to the wholesale fish market, costing them business. “Somewhere we will have to make a compromise but we want to take everyone into confidence, be it retail fish vendors, wholesale traders, traditional fishermen, trawler owners and other stakeholders. We will finalise the site with them,” he added.
