TEAM HERALD
MARGAO: South Goa Planning and Development Authority’s plan to spruce up the stinking wholesale fish market by tapping funds from the National Fisheries Board has come a cropper.
And, the SGPDA appears to be treading a cautious path on the proposal received from the Fisheries department to develop the wholesale fish market by availing funds from the central agencies.
SGPDA’s tender to appoint a consultant to prepare the ground work to tap the central funds for the market turnaround went abegging. With not a single bid received for the tender, the SGPDA has no option but to place the unusual situation before the Authority for a decision. The tender was specifically floated to help the SGPDA in obtaining funds from the National Fisheries Board.
SGPDA Member Secretary Vinod Kumar confirmed to Herald that the tender evoked no response from the prospective consultants. “The PDA will place the matter at the next meeting of the Authority which will take a call whether to go for a re-tender or to dump the proposal,” he said.
On Fisheries proposal to develop the wholesale fish market, Kumar said the Fisheries department has also sought to put the market in place with infrastructure through funds from the National Fisheries Board. Though the PDA has not taken a call on the Fisheries department’s proposal so far, sources said the SGPDA will first study the proposal in detail, weigh the pros and cons before taking a final call.
For, sources in the know informed that the entire land admeasuring 10,000 sq mts hosting the wholesale fish market stands notified as a central commercial zone in the Outline Development Plan for Margao. “There are a lot of issues which need to be addressed before the Authority takes any decision to hand over the wholesale fish market to the Fisheries department. Since the wholesale market area is a central commercial zone, the PDA can avail benefit of the zone and ensure that the market turns out self sustaining”, Kumar said.
