MARGAO: The South Goa Planning and Development Authority (SGPDA) was heavily criticised for alleged mismanagement of the wholesale fish market and various irregularities, during a high-level meeting held at Margao Municipal Council (MMC) hall, which had the presence of all stakeholders concerned.
MMC Chief Officer Gaurish Shankwalkar and Chairperson Damodar Shirodkar chaired the meeting that had the attendance of all type of fishermen, be it ramponkars or trawler owners and from all parts of South Goa, from Canacona, to Cutbona, to Colva to Velsao and Vasco. The wholesale trader’s association head Maulana Ibrahim and other members were also present along with traffic police and SGPDA officials.
The SGPDA Member Secretary however remained absent.
However, the bone of contention arose with the HC directions for stopping any retail sale of fish on the roads outside the wholesale fish market.
This led to a passionate debate about who is a retail fish vendor and who is a wholesale fish vendor with some of the fishermen protesting that they are doing wholesale business at the market but are being wrongly pulled up as retail vendors.
One of the leaders of the boat owners, Vinay Tari, emphasised that all the local fishermen who come with their fish straight from their boats are wholesale vendors.
Tari then took objection to those traders who buy fish from the wholesale vendors and then sit on the road and transact business by the roadside.
Here, the traditional ramponkar leaders like Agnelo Rodrigues questioned why their earlier demand for all local fishermen being provided with identity cards was not met with.
The second major issue was that of the use of thermocol boxes. While MMC stated that they pick up discarded thermocol boxes from an identified spot near the market, boat owner leader Jose Philip D’Souza as well as Savio Da Silva questioned how thermocol boxes are finding its way to the wholesale fish market when their use was not allowed within the wholesale fish market.
Here, Shankwalkar put the onus on SGPDA to take responsibility for this.
Da Silva that there be an inquiry to see if the fish stored in it has formalin.
Stakeholders, including Ibrahim alleged that a person was extorting all those who carry out business at the wholesale fish market and they demanded action against him.
On another issue, MMC made it clear that tempos and vehicles will not be allowed to park on the roads outside the market. Shankwalkar said SGPDA would have to decide on what type of sale of fish is allowed within SGPDA wholesale market premises.
